Pauri Garhwal (Uttarakhand) [India], June 26 : The death toll in the Rudraprayag bus accident rose to four on Thursday after the body of a missing passenger was recovered near the Srinagar dam in Pauri Garhwal, around 40 kilometres from the accident site.
Speaking to ANI, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Inspector Manjari Negi confirmed the development and said, "A body of another deceased passenger in the Rudraprayag bus accident has been found floating near the dam in Srinagar. The deceased has been identified as Gauri Soni. SDRF is engaged in search and rescue for those who remain missing."
The SDRF, assisted by the SSB, has deployed multiple teams along key points of the Alaknanda River. "As soon as our team received this information, we all gathered here. One team of the SSB is also present. We divided the team into three parts--one near Goa Beach, one near Dhari Devi, and one on the dam. We have split the SSB team into these three sections and are constantly searching with binoculars and ourselves. Whatever we find here, we will recover. We have OVM and rafts. If anyone sees something, we will recover it," Negi added.
According to officials, the bus, which was travelling from Rudraprayag to Badrinath, collided with an oncoming vehicle in the Gholthir area and fell into a 300-metre-deep gorge before landing in the Alaknanda River.
Uttarakhand's Secretary of Disaster Management, Vinod Kumar Suman, said, "There were 20 passengers in the bus that was swept away in the river in Gholthir. The passengers included a driver from Haridwar, seven people from Rajasthan, three from Madhya Pradesh, seven from Gujarat, and two from Maharashtra."
The accident prompted swift rescue efforts by SDRF, district police, fire units, and residents. Several passengers who had jumped from the bus before it plunged into the river were rescued and sent to the District Hospital Rudraprayag for medical attention.
Simultaneously, amid heavy rainfall disrupting the Sonprayag-Munkatia route, the Rudraprayag administration safely evacuated 1,269 pilgrims stranded along the Kedarnath route. "Due to continuous rainfall disrupting the Sonprayag-Munkatia route, the Rudraprayag administration prioritised pilgrim safety and evacuated 833 male and 436 female devotees with the assistance of SDRF, NDRF, and DDRF. Efforts are ongoing to restore the route," said a post from the District Administration on X.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his condolences over the incident and assured that all efforts are being made for rescue and relief. "The news of a tempo traveller falling into a river in Rudraprayag district is deeply tragic. Relief and rescue operations are being conducted on a war footing by SDRF and other rescue teams. I am in constant contact with the local administration regarding this matter. I pray to God for everyone's safety," he posted on X.
Following the incident, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team and police officials immediately rushed to the spot for a rescue operation. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has launched a search operation near the Srinagar Garhwal dam, approximately 40 kilometres from the accident site. Given the strong river currents, it's estimated that passengers from the bus might have been swept towards the dam.