Three people were killed and three others were missing after a vehicle hit by a landslide fell into the Ganga River in Tehri Garhwal district on Sunday, officials said.

The vehicle was carrying 11 people, including the driver, police said, adding five of them were rescued and admitted to a government hospital in Rishikesh. They were on their way to Rishikesh from Kedarnath.

Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local police have reached the spot and a rescue and relief operation is underway, Inspector Ritesh Shah, in-charge of Muni Ki Reti Police Station said.

Inspector Kavendra Sajwan of the SDRF said three bodies have been fished out from the river while a team of divers is conducting an operation to find the other passengers.

The victims were residents of Delhi, Bihar, and Hyderabad, he said.

According to police, the accident took place in the Muni Ki Reti area on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway.

The driver lost control of the car after it was hit by a landslide. It then skidded off the road and fell into the Ganga River, Shah said Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has urged people to be vigilant because of landslides due to heavy rains and overflowing rivers.

Due to bad weather and excessive rainfall, incidents of landslides, road closures and overflowing rivers and streams were reported. Instructions were given to all district magistrates and the Disaster Management Department to remain alert, he said.

The chief minister also urged pilgrims visiting the state to plan their travel only after getting the latest weather information to avoid any inconvenience.

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