By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Three pilgrims were killed and nine missing when a Badrinath-bound vehicle fell into the swollen Alaknanda river in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand on Thursday, police said.
The pilgrims were travelling in a 31-seater bus from different states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Nearly 20 people including the driver were travelling in the vehicle when the accident occurred at Dhaultir area. The vehicle was swept away in the fast currents of Alaknanda which is the spate due to heavy monsoon rains in the past few days. The driver identified as Sumit Kumar from Haridwar was among the injured.
Nearly eight pilgrims were also injured and rushed to nearby hospital where the condition of several people was stated to be serious. The seriously injured persons were later airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh for better medical care.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue operations by SDRF personnel have been launched in the area. He said he is constantly in touch with the local administration and expressed his grief over the accident.
Monsoon rains wreak havoc in Uttarakhand every year killing scores of people in rains-related disasters like landslides and cloudbursts.
On Wednesday, four people including newly-born child were killed when a car fell into a swollen canal at Haldwani area amid heavy rains.