India, June 26 -- Three pilgrims were killed and nine others are missing after a bus carrying Char Dham pilgrims veered off the Badrinath national highway between Rudraprayag and Gauchar, and fell into the Alaknanda river on Thursday morning, police said.

Eight more passengers are injured and are being treated.

A police officer said there was no trace of the nine people who were washed away by the strong currents of the river, and rescue operations are underway at the spot. Among the nine people who are missing are a jeweller and a lawyer from Rajasthan's Udaipur, who were in Uttarakhand with their extended families for the pilgrimage.

The 31-seater bus headed to Badrinath was carrying pilgrims from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh a...