Rudraprayag: Rescue operation is going on to search for the missing people in the accident that took place at Gholthir on Rishikesh-Badrinath highway. One more body of the nine people missing in the vehicle accident has been recovered today on Friday morning. The rescue team recovered the body from the river bank near Ratuda.
The rescue team is searching from both ends of the Alaknanda river. The death toll in the accident has gone up to four. The bodies of three people were recovered yesterday. The body found today has been identified as Sanjay Soni, Rajasthan. Eight people are injured and eight passengers are missing.
On returning from Dehradun late last Thursday evening, District Magistrate Prateek Jain reached the hospital and met the injured. On Thursday morning around 7 o’clock, 18 passengers from Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat, a guide and driver left for Badrinath Dham from the district headquarters Rudraprayag in a 31-seater bus. At around 7:30 in the morning, the bus went out of control and fell into the Alaknanda river near Gholthir, about 14 km from the district headquarters.
As soon as the accident happened, 10 people including the driver Sumit were thrown out of the windows and fell into the ditch near the river, while others fell into the overflowing river along with the bus. Teacher Satyendra Singh Bhandari, a resident of Bhatwadi village on the other side of the river, immediately informed the District Disaster Management Officer about the accident. Along with him, villagers and traders of Marora and Gholthir reached the accident site and started rescuing the injured.
Eight injured including two children were admitted to the hospital
In a short while, teams of Army, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, Police, DDRF and District Disaster Management reached the spot and started the rescue operation by descending down with the help of ropes. The rescue team found two people dead including a teenager in the ditch, whose bodies were brought to the road. At the same time, eight injured including two children were admitted to the district hospital in ambulances of Railways, ITBP and Health Department. Four seriously injured including the driver were sent to AIIMS Rishikesh by helicopter.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ram Prakash and Chief Medical Superintendent Dr. Praveen Kumar said that the condition of all the four injured admitted in the district hospital is out of danger. Superintendent of Police Akshay Prahlad Konde said that the search for the missing passengers is going on. The body of a missing woman has been found in the river near Dhari Devi temple. Rescue teams are engaged in searching for the missing people.
Reason not clear, case against driver
Initial investigations are revealing both the negligence of driver Sumit and technical deficiency in the bus. Police have registered a case against the driver under various sections. At the same time, injured Sumit says that he was driving the vehicle at a speed of 20 km/hour. Due to the collision with a truck coming from the opposite direction, the steering of his bus went down, due to which it went out of control and fell into the ditch. Passenger Bhavna Soni, who was injured in this accident, has also supported the driver’s statement.
Everyone was going to Badrinath
Injured Amita Soni told that on June 17, everyone had left for Chardham from Haridwar. After completing the journey to Gangotri and Yamunotri, they reached Kedarnath two days ago and returned on Wednesday and stayed in Rudraprayag. They left for Badrinath from Rudraprayag at 7 am on Thursday
.Rescue teams are engaged in searching for the missing passengers. The injured are being treated. The administration is monitoring the situation with full sensitivity. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of the injured. – Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Minister
