Gopeshwar (Uttarakhand), Apr 18 (PTI) Five people returning from a wedding ceremony died when the car in which they were travelling fell into a gorge in Chamoli district on Friday, an official said.

The district has been hit hard by strong storms and rain. According to the district magistrate (DM), the weather department had issued a rain alert for the next three days.

DM Dr Sandeep Tiwari said here that upon receiving information about the accident near Nijamula village in Birhi Valley, personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and revenue department had reached the spot. However, due to continuous rain and darkness, they faced challenges in executing the relief and rescue work at the accident site.

The work of taking out the bodies of the deceased from the gorge is still going on.

The accident took place between 6 and 7 pm, and the car fell several hundred meters deep. It is being said that the administration received the news of the incident late due to the bad weather.  Meanwhile, the DM declared a holiday in Anganwadi centres and schools amid the rain warning in the district.

Tiwari said that due to inclement weather, people have been appealed to travel only if necessary.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep condolences over the road accident. He has also directed the district administration to provide the permissible assistance amount to the families of the deceased. PTI DPT AMJ AMJ AMJ