PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Three people died, nine are missing and eight sustained injuries after a 31-seater bus carrying 20 persons fell into the Alaknanda river near Gholtir in Rudraprayag district on Thursday morning. The passengers were pilgrims from different States including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and were travelling from Rudraprayag to Badrinath as part of the Char Dham Yatra.
The Rudraprayag superintendent of police Akshay Konde informed that the incident occurred around 7:50 AM near the State Bank bend on the highway when the bus, bearing registration number UK 08 PA 7444, veered off the road and plunged into the gorge, ending up in the river. Some passengers were thrown out of the vehicle before it hit the river. “Rescue teams from the district police, SDRF, Fire services and local volunteers responded quickly to the scene and began rescue operations. The injured individuals, who were rescued from the roadside with the help of locals, were immediately taken to the district hospital in Rudraprayag,” he said. Among the eight injured were four women, two children and the bus driver. Four of the seriously injured, including Deepika Soni (42), Hemlata Soni (45), Ishwar Soni (46) and Amita Soni (49), were airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh for treatment. Others injured include Bhavna Soni (43), Bhavya Soni (7), Parth Soni (10) and the driver Sumit Kumar (23), a resident of Haridwar.
Authorities confirmed the recovery of three bodies till late evening, including a man, a woman and a teenage girl. The nine missing individuals have been identified as Ravi Bhavsar (28), Mauli Soni (19), Lalit Kumar Soni (48), Gauri Soni (41), Sanjay Soni (55), Mayuri (24), Chetna Soni (52), Cheshta (12), Katta Ranjana Ashok (54) and Sushila Soni (77). They belong to cities including Udaipur, Surat, Thane, and Rajgarh. The SP also stated that the fast flow of the river and the difficult terrain made the rescue operation challenging.
He also informed that the submerged bus had not been located as of Thursday evening. Joint teams from various departments and other agencies concerned are continuing their search and rescue efforts using surveillance technology and advanced equipment.
A police case has also been registered to investigate the cause of the accident, he added. Meanwhile, the authorities had to stop pilgrims heading towards Kedarnath Dham on Thursday morning as debris and stones blocked the road near Munkatiya due to heavy rainfall on Wednesday night. The officials informed that pilgrims were also halted near the Sonprayag shuttle bridge, where loose debris, rocks and boulders slid down from the hill above. Pilgrims will be held safely within the Sonprayag area until the route is cleared, as per the officials.
