Key Points

A tragic road accident occurred on Thursday near the State Bank turn near Gholthir in Rudraprayag district this morning, when a Chardham Yatri bus went out of control and fell into a 300-meter deep gorge and drowned in the Alaknanda river. This bus was going from Rudraprayag to Badrinath in the morning.

There were a total of 20 passengers in the accident bus, out of which 8 people were rescued in injured condition. Some of them were airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh due to their critical condition.

While speaking to ANI, Deepika, an injured passenger from Rajasthan, said, "We were going to Badrinath from Rudraprayag at night. On the way, a truck hit our vehicle, and our vehicle fell into a gorge. There were 20 of us, I know about 8 people, but I don't know where the others are."

On receiving the information about the accident, teams of SDRF, District Police, Fire Unit, Revenue Department and other related agencies immediately reached the spot. Local citizens also provided important support in the rescue work.

Before the bus drowned in the river, some passengers jumped out of the bus, who were promptly taken out of the gorge by the rescue teams and brought to the road and sent to District Hospital Rudraprayag for first aid.

SDRF Inspector Manjari Negi, while speaking exclusively to ANI, said that search teams have been divided into different parts for the rescue operation on the Alaknanda river in connection with the bus accident in Rudraprayag district.

Sashastra Seema Bal jawans are also present on the spot. The search operation is being conducted in three parts. Teams are engaged in the search operation at a place called Goa Beach near Dhari Devi, Srinagar Dam and Sirobgadh.

"Our team got information, so we have one team here and one team is of SSB. We have divided one team into three parts. One is near Goa Beach, one is near Dhari Devi and one is here on dam. We have divided SSB into three such parts and we are constantly searching with the help of binoculars."

The SSB and SDRF teams are using binoculars and rafts to aid in the search operation. "Whatever we see, will recover it. The raft has also been ordered," Negi added.

The social media cell of the Rudraprayag police office has shared the details of the eight injured, one fatality and several individuals reported missing. The deceased individuals have been identified as Vishal Soni, 42, from Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Drimi, 17, from Silicon Palace, Surat, Gujarat.

The list of injured includes Deepika Soni, 42, from Sirohi, Rajasthan; Hemlata Soni, 45, from Gogunda, Rajasthan; Ishwar Soni, 46, from Gujarat; Amita Soni, 49, from Mira Road, Maharashtra; Soni Bhavana Ishwar, 43, from Gujarat; Bhavya Soni, 7, from Gujarat; Parth Soni, 10, from Madhya Pradesh; and Sumit Kumar, 23, the driver from Haridwar.

And the list of missing persons includes Ravi Bhavasar, 28, from Udaipur, Rajasthan; Mouli Soni, 19, from Surat, Gujarat; Lalit Kumar Soni, 48, from Gogunda, Rajasthan; Gauri Soni, 41, from Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh; Sanjay Soni, 55, from Udaipur, Rajasthan; Mayuri, 24, from Surat, Gujarat; Chetna Soni, 52, from Udaipur, Rajasthan; Chettha, 12, from Surat, Gujarat; Katta Ranjana Ashok, 54, from Mira Road, Maharashtra; and Sushila Soni, 77, from Udaipur, Rajasthan.

During the rescue operation, the task remains extremely challenging due to the fast flow of the river, difficult geographical conditions and depth and a joint team of SDRF, NDRF, District Police, Fire Service and other agencies is continuously searching the site of the incident.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the Rudraprayag bus accident that so far has claimed one life, injuring seven others.

In a post on his official account X, CM Dhami said, "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."

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.

- ANI