Uttarakhand@2025: From January to December, these incidents shook the state; 917 people died in 1600 accidents
The year 2025 is coming to an end, and a new year is beginning. This year will be remembered for many bittersweet memories. However, in Uttarakhand, this year has also been marked by numerous road accidents. Since the beginning of the year, many people have lost their lives in these accidents. It’s unlikely that any district in Uttarakhand has been spared from road accidents. From Rudraprayag to Haridwar, Pithoragarh, and Chamoli, major road accidents have forced people to reflect on the issue. These accidents were caused by various factors, including drunk driving and negligence.
The Biggest Accident: The biggest road accident of the year occurred on June 26, 2025, in Rudraprayag. A mini-bus carrying pilgrims from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Gujarat for the Char Dham Yatra plunged into the Alaknanda River. The accident was so tragic and horrific that 10 people died on the spot. The official cause of this accident has not yet been determined. However, the bus driver stated at the time that his bus was hit from behind by a truck, causing it to lose control and fall into the river.
There were 20 passengers on the bus. Surprisingly, the wreckage of the bus has still not been found. When this accident occurred during the Char Dham Yatra, everyone was concerned about how to prevent such road accidents involving pilgrims. Those who survived this accident near Gholtir, 14 kilometers from the district headquarters, still suffer from injuries to various parts of their bodies.
Family Killed in Tehri Accident: Another major road accident occurred in Uttarakhand this year. This accident took place near Devprayag in Tehri Garhwal, where a family on their way to a wedding ceremony perished. The accident happened when six members of the family were traveling in a car on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway. Near Bhalle village, their car plunged 300 meters down into the Alaknanda River. In this accident, 45-year-old Anita Devi was rescued, but five people died on the spot, including three children.
Bus completely destroyed: In January of this year, Pauri Garhwal district also witnessed a horrific accident. On January 12, 2025, a bus met with an accident on the Satyakhali motor road in Pauri. Six people died and 22 were injured. The bus had left at 4 AM with 28 passengers for Pauri city. However, near Satyakhali, the bus fell into an 80-meter deep gorge. The bus was completely destroyed in the accident. It was with great difficulty that 28 people were rescued from the bus. Six people, including three women, died in this accident.
Narendra Nagar bus accident: In November, another major accident occurred in Tehri. A bus carrying pilgrims from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, returning to Rishikesh after visiting the Kunjapuri temple in Narendra Nagar, went out of control and fell into a gorge. The investigation revealed that the accident was caused by brake failure. Five people died in this incident on the Gangotri-Rishikesh National Highway. The deceased included pilgrims from Delhi, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. Three women and three men lost their lives, while 13 people were seriously injured.
Major accidents in Almora and Kainchi Dham: In November, another incident occurred on the Almora-Nainital National Highway, in which three teachers died. SP City Jagdish Chandra, while giving information about the incident at that time, said that on November 22, a car carrying teachers going from Almora to Haldwani for a wedding ceremony fell into the Shipra River. Three teachers died in this accident. The deceased were identified as Surendra Bhandari, Pushkar, and Sanjay Bisht. One teacher, Manoj Kumar, was referred to a higher medical center.
Another accident occurred on the same road in November when Rahul Patel, a resident of Bareilly, arrived with his family to visit Kainchi Dham. Rahul had set out for Kainchi Dham in his new car, but before he could reach the shrine, he, his mother, and his sister-in-law died in an accident on December 19th.
Major accidents in Rishikesh and Haridwar on the last day of the year: Several road accidents occurred in December as the year drew to a close. On the night of December 16th, four friends traveling in a car in Rishikesh were involved in an accident. Their car went out of control and crashed into a parked truck. All four young men died in the accident. They were all residents of Rishikesh. Later, CCTV footage revealed that the speeding car crashed while trying to avoid hitting a cow. Also, on December 11th, a car collided with a generator parked on the side of the road near Rishikul on the Haridwar-Delhi National Highway. Two laborers sleeping near the generator and the young man in the car died in the accident. On December 16th, a brother and sister on a motorcycle collided with a truck at the Roorkee-Narsan border, resulting in the brother’s death on the spot. The sister is still critically injured.
Alarming statistics: These are some of the accidents in Uttarakhand that remained in the news this year. Besides these, many other people lost their lives in various accidents. This is despite the fact that the state government spends crores of rupees every year on Road Safety Week. According to data from the Uttarakhand Police Headquarters, 1311 road accidents occurred in Uttarakhand in 2024, resulting in 2024 deaths. However, by September of this year, 917 people had already lost their lives in 1600 road accidents.
