Global Council of Indian Christians mourns as truck falls into gorge and kills 85 pilgrims

Global Council of India Christians (GCIC), expressed sorrow over the death of 85 pilgrims and 130 injured, when a truck carrying Hindu pilgrims fell into a gorge near Desuri–Ki–Nall village in Rajasthan.

“GCIC mourns the death of pilgrims in Rajasthan,” said Dr. Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians.

The pilgrims from three adjacent villages were on their way to Ramdev temple, which is revered by both Hindus and Muslims, for an annual pilgrimage.

At least 250,000 people visit the shrine during the 10 day pilgrimage in September, every year.

The truck–driver Gopal Paliwal who offered a free ride to the pilgrims, lost control during a turn and smashed a protective wall and hurtled into the gorge, said local authorities. The incident occurred at 8pm in in Jaisalmer district.

Inspector General of Police of Udaipur Range Rajeev Dasot said 72 bodies have so far been pulled out of the 20–feet gorge.

Road accidents in India are frequent and rising with the increase of overcrowded vehicles, reckless driving, aging vehicles and bad roads.

According to the experts at the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NTPRC) the number of road accidents in India is three times higher than that prevailing in developed countries. The number of accidents for 1000 vehicles in India is as high as 35 while the figure ranges from 4 to 10 in developed countries.