In a tragic event in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, an explosion due to a transformer on the banks of the Alaknanda River resulted in 17 fatalities. The explosion took place at the site of the Namami Gange project where the victims were reportedly working. An additional 23 people were injured in the incident, some severely.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, ordered an immediate enquiry into the incident and left for Dehradun to visit the affected site. He characterized the incident as “very unfortunate” and added that rescue and relief work was underway. The injured individuals are being transferred to AIIMS Rishikesh for treatment.
In a tweet, CM Dhami stated that he had a conversation with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who sought details about the accident. Shah informed that an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh would be provided to the families of the deceased, and Rs 1 lakh would be given to each injured individual.
आज चमोली में घटित दुःखद दुर्घटना के संबंध में आदरणीय केंद्रीय गृह मंत्री श्री @AmitShah जी को फोन पर विस्तृत जानकारी दी।
साथ ही सम्बंधित अधिकारियों को चमोली घटना के मृतकों के आश्रितों को ₹5 लाख और घायलों को ₹1 लाख की राहत राशि अविलंब प्रदान करने के निर्देश दिए हैं।
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) July 19, 2023
Chamoli’s additional director general of police, V Murugesan, revealed that the casualties included a police sub-inspector and two home guards. Out of the 17 deceased, six were completely charred and two passed away during treatment.
Expressing grief over the tragedy, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured all possible support to the state government.
उत्तराखंड के चमोली जिले में हुए दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण हादसे में कई लोगों के हताहत होने का समाचार अत्यंत दुखद है। शोक संतप्त परिवारों के प्रति मेरी गहन संवेदनाएँ। मैं घायलों के शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की कामना करती हूं।
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 19, 2023
“The news of the loss of lives in an unfortunate accident in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand is extremely saddening. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish for the speedy recovery of the injured,” President Murmu tweeted in Hindi.
In response to the tragedy, CM Dhami has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident at the under-construction Namami Gange project site.
