Body of another missing pilgrim found, toll in Uttarakhand bus accident rises to four

The body of another pilgrim was retrieved on Friday, 27 June, from the Alaknanda river as SDRF personnel on board rafts scoured its swirling waters in search of pilgrims who went missing after a 31-seater bus taking them to Badrinath fell into the river near between Rudraprayag and Gauchar on Thursday, 26 June.

The toll in the Thursday accident has mounted to four now with this recovery, Rudraprayag superintendent of police Akshay Prahlad Konde said.

The fourth body retrieved on Friday was identified as that of 55-year-old Sanjay Soni, a resident of Udaipur in Rajasthan, he said. The body will be handed over to his family members after necessary formalities, he said.

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Three bodies were found on Thursday.

Eight people are still missing, for whom the search and rescue operation is on, the SP said.

The accident occurred at around 7.30 am as the bus fell into the river several hundred feet down the road with a loud bang, Bhandari, who lives close to the accident site, said. Whoever heard the sound rushed towards the scene of the accident, he further said.

The injured driver of the vehicle, who hails from Kankhal in Haridwar, claimed the bus fell into the river after being hit by a truck coming from the opposite direction.

"I was driving at a speed of hardly around 10-20 kmph. We were going comfortably listening to bhajans when a truck hit the bus hard and it plunged into the gorge," the driver named Sumit said.