A bus fell into the Alaknanda river in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand on Thursday morning. The accident took place on the Badrinath Highway in Gholthir. There were 18 pilgrims in the bus, out of which one has died, while 7 are injured. Nine people are missing. The vehicle was headed towards Badrinath Dham, one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites.
According to preliminary information, the bus was heading uphill from Rudraprayag towards Badrinath when it lost control and fell into the river.
The police said that before the bus sank into the river, some passengers had been thrown out due to the impact and were rescued with the help of local residents and brought back up to the road by the rescue teams.
“The injured were immediately sent to the district hospital in Rudraprayag. The vehicle, a 31-seater bus bearing registration number UK08 PA 7444, was carrying 20 people, including the driver. The passengers included members of a family from Udaipur, Rajasthan and Gujarat, who were on a Char Dham pilgrimage,” said an officer.
SDRF launches rescue operation
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has launched a rescue operation after being informed of the accident. The force rescued two children, two women, and three men so far, while nine others remained missing.
The SDRF said in a statement, “Upon receiving information about a tempo traveller vehicle falling into a deep gorge in the Gholtir area of Rudraprayag district, police teams from Agastyamuni, Ratoora, and Gauchar police stations, along with SDRF units, were immediately dispatched to the spot.”
“The rescue teams swiftly began relief and rescue operations, safely evacuating some of the injured and sending them to the hospital for treatment. One body has also been recovered, while search and rescue efforts are ongoing for the remaining individuals,” the statement added.
SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said the identities of the deceased were yet to be ascertained. “SDRF, police personnel, and local administration teams are jointly engaged in relief operations at the accident site. The river has a rapid flow today, and the rescue is under challenging conditions,” he added.
Prakash Kumar Pandey