What happened here
A Haryana-registered WagonR, described by some outlets as a taxi, fell about 150 metres into a gorge near Pali village on the Rishikesh–Badrinath highway, 4 km from Devprayag, at about 5:40 a.m. on 15 October 2026. The driver and a 72-year-old woman died; three relatives were injured. The cause is not known.
Quick answers
How many people died in the Devprayag gorge crash?
Two: the 33-year-old driver and a 72-year-old woman, both from Chamoli district. Three others from Rudraprayag district were injured. These counts come from Devprayag police (PTI) and the Kirtinagar SDM (ANI) on 15 October 2026.
Where exactly did the crash happen?
Near Pali village, also called Pali Pulia, about 4 km from Devprayag towards Srinagar on the Rishikesh–Badrinath National Highway, in Tehri Garhwal district. Police placed it near the River View Cafe and Restaurant.
Was it a taxi?
ANI, Amar Ujala and some TV channels called it a taxi. Police described it as a WagonR with a Haryana registration. Whether it was running as a commercial taxi has not been confirmed.
What caused the crash?
No cause has been officially stated. The SDM said the reasons are being looked into, and police began inquest proceedings.
Who carried out the rescue?
Devprayag police and local people brought the injured up. SDRF teams from Byasi and Srinagar recovered the bodies and took them across the river by raft.
What happened
Early on Thursday, 15 October 2026, a small car carrying five people went off the Rishikesh–Badrinath National Highway near Pali village, about 4 km from Devprayag towards Srinagar, in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand. It fell about 150 metres into a gorge and came to rest near the river bank below. Two people died on the spot and three were injured.
Tehri SSP Shweta Choubey, quoted by Amrit Vichar, put the time at 5:40 a.m. and the spot near the River View Cafe and Restaurant at Pali. Amar Ujala and ANI call the place Pali Pulia. The crash falls under Devprayag Kotwali police station.
Police describe the vehicle as a WagonR with a Haryana registration. ANI, Amar Ujala and some TV channels call it a taxi; whether it was running as a commercial taxi has not been confirmed. PTI, the SSP and ETV Bharat said it was going from Chandigarh to Rudraprayag; Amar Ujala, quoting the Devprayag Kotwal, said it was heading towards Chamoli.
The people in the car
According to Devprayag Kotwali in-charge Krishna Kant, quoted by PTI, the two who died were Satyeshwari Devi, 72, of Karnaprayag area in Chamoli district, and the driver, Anil, 33, also of Chamoli district. The other three, a man of 33 and two women aged 45 and 18, are from Rudraprayag district. PTI reported that all five were relatives travelling for a puja; Daily Excelsior, quoting the SHO, said they were going for a religious ritual.
The three injured were taken to the community health centre at Bagi. Kirtinagar SDM Pankaj Bhatt told ANI they were out of danger. ETV Bharat’s first report described them as seriously hurt. We found no later update on their condition.
Response and investigation
Devprayag police reached the spot first. PTI and Shikhar Himalaya reported that police and local people brought the three injured up from the gorge, and 108 ambulances took them to hospital. SDRF teams from Byasi and Srinagar then recovered the two bodies from the car. Because of the steep ground and the river, the rescuers carried the bodies across the river on a raft to Devprayag, according to Daily Excelsior and Shikhar Himalaya.
SDM Pankaj Bhatt, who visited the spot, said the cause was being looked into. Daily Excelsior reported that police began inquest proceedings after informing the families, and ETV Bharat said the bodies were sent for post-mortem. By 17 October 2026 we found no published cause, no report of an FIR naming anyone and no compensation announcement.
Why this matters
On a hill highway there is often nothing between the road edge and a drop of a hundred metres or more. A moment’s loss of control that would mean a dent on the plains can be fatal here. The Rishikesh–Badrinath road carries pilgrims, local taxis and families from the plains all year, many of them in small cars and many of them on the road before sunrise.
Across India, 23,739 people travelling in cars, SUVs and jeeps died in road accidents in 2024, according to NCRB’s Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2024. Earlier this month we covered a similar fall on the Chakrata–Tyuni road in Dehradun district.
Lessons for hill roads
- Wear the seat belt in the back seat too. In a roll-down a gorge, an unbelted passenger is thrown around the car or out of it.
- Drive at a speed that lets you stop within what you can see. On blind bends, sound the horn, keep left and expect a truck or bus on your side.
- Use low gear on long descents. Riding the brake all the way down heats the brakes until they stop working.
- Do not start a hill drive tired. If you have driven through the night from the plains, sleep before you take on the ghats. Early-morning light, mist and sleepiness are a bad mix.
- Hire hill-experienced drivers. When you book a taxi for a puja or a yatra, ask how long the driver has been on hill routes and how much rest he has had.
- Tell rescuers exactly where you are. Call 112 and give the nearest kilometre stone, village, dhaba or cafe. In this crash the spot was identified by a roadside cafe.
What is still not known
The cause has not been officially stated. It is not known whether speed, a mechanical fault, the road surface, the driver’s condition or something else played a part, or whether the vehicle was running as a registered taxi. Reports also differ on whether the group was going to Rudraprayag or Chamoli. We will update this page if police or the district administration publish findings.
- The car goes off the highway near Pali and falls about 150 metres towards the river
- Devprayag police and local people bring the three injured up; 108 ambulances take them to CHC Bagi
- SDRF teams from Byasi and Srinagar recover the two bodies and carry them across the river on a raft to Devprayag
- SDM Pankaj Bhatt visits the spot; police begin inquest proceedings and send the bodies for post-mortem
- No cause finding, FIR naming anyone or compensation announcement located in published reports
Why consequences escalated
- Two people died on the spot and three were injured; all counts agree across reports.
- The car fell about 150 metres from the highway towards the river.
- Police and local people reached the injured before the SDRF arrived.
- The terrain was so steep that SDRF took the bodies across the river by raft.
- No cause has been given; reports differ on whether the vehicle was a taxi and on its destination.
Failures and risk multipliers
- The cause is not known, so no driver error is assumed here.
- Hill highways often have long stretches with no crash barrier between the road and a deep drop.
- Travel in the dark or at first light on hill roads leaves little margin for a mistake.
Actions that reduce risk
- Everyone in the car, front and back, wears a seat belt on hill roads.
- Families hiring a taxi for a yatra ask about the driver's hill experience and rest.
- Drivers from the plains rest before starting the climb and use low gear on descents.
- Highway agencies review crash barriers on stretches above the river near Devprayag.
- Callers to 112 give a kilometre stone or landmark so rescuers can find the spot fast.
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