Chamoli Tragedy: Two Women Die After Falling Into Gorge While Fleeing Bear, Activist Anoop Nautiyal Demands Accountability
Dehradun / Chamoli, 4 Sept 2026
Two women in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand tragically lost their lives after fleeing a bear and falling into a deep gorge, in yet another devastating human-wildlife conflict incident.
The incident has triggered fresh alarm over rising bear attacks in the higher reaches of Garhwal. Chamoli has been among the worst-hit districts this monsoon. As per State Emergency Operation Centre, Chamoli alone has recorded 16 deaths so far this season, including 10 officially classified under human-wildlife conflict which Uttarakhand now treats as a state-specific disaster.
SDC founding president and social activist Anoop Nautiyal, known for tracking environmental issues in Uttarakhand, expressed deep dismay over the deaths.
In a statement issued on September 4, Nautiyal said:
“I was deeply dismayed and concerned to hear about their deaths and offer my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I ask that these deaths not to be treated as isolated accidents.”
Nautiyal demanded that the Forest Department take ownership and ensure safety and security for mountain communities while urgently addressing the alarming pattern of human-wildlife conflict across Uttarakhand.
Forest officials have repeatedly attributed the spike to shortened hibernation, reduced snowfall, food scarcity and biotic pressure pushing Himalayan black bears – listed as vulnerable by IUCN – closer to villages during September-November.
In the last five years bears have injured over 438 people in Uttarakhand, with 17 of 38 forest divisions reporting conflict. A detailed behavioural study of Himalayan black bears has been ordered by Chief Wildlife Warden to find long-term solutions.
The identities of the two women who died in the latest gorge fall are awaited. Forest teams have intensified patrolling and villagers have been advised not to venture out alone, especially at dusk.
