The Rudraprayag district administration is trying to send the bodies of victims of the bus accident back to their kin, District Magistrate Prateek Jain said on Saturday. He added that the relatives have also arrived in the district.
“Chief Minister has given us strict orders to make all the decisions with sensitivity and our team is in constant contact with the relatives of the passengers. Yesterday night too we were doing our best to make sure that the relatives reach Rudraprayag, and they have reached Rudraprayag today morning,” the DM said in a video released by the state’s Information Department.
Pointing out that they are attempting to handle the situation as sensitively as could be, and that the bodies will be handed over once the post mortem is done, he went on to say, "We are conducting the process and post mortem of the bodies we have recovered and after the process is over we will hand over the bodies to the relatives. We are doing everything within our power to handle this as sensitively as possible."
At least five people were killed and eight injured when a bus with 20 passengers fell into the Alaknanda river in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand on the morning of June 26.
Also read: 3 dead, 9 missing as bus plunges into Alakananda
The body of a Gujarat native was found in the Srinagar-Kirtinagar dam area, taking the toll in Thursday's bus accident to five.
The bus, which was travelling from Rudraprayag to Badrinath, rammed an oncoming vehicle at Gholthir area and skidded off the road, entering a 300 metre deep gorge before crashing into the river.
Authorities stated that among the passengers were a Haridwar-based driver, seven from Rajasthan, three from Madhya Pradesh, seven from Gujarat, and two from Maharashtra.
As some of the injured passengers were shifted to AIIMS Rishikesh, the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the injured and checked the treatment and medical facilities being offered to them.
Photos of the hospital depicted CM Dhami interacting with the accident victims and their kin, assuring them of every possible support and aid from the state government.
After his hospital visit, in an X post, the CM wrote, "Upon reaching AIIMS, Rishikesh, I asked about the welfare of passengers injured in the Rudraprayag bus accident and got feedback from doctors regarding the progress of their treatment."
"Today, I issued necessary instructions to the relevant authorities and physicians for the optimal treatment of the wounded. I also sat with the families and assured them of all possible support. Our government is with the wounded and the families of the victims during this time. I pray to God that the injured recover quickly," he further added.
Soon after the accident, officials from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), district police, fire department, and revenue units arrived at the location. Locals also helped in the initial rescue operation.
Official sources indicated that some passengers had exited the bus before it went into the gorge. They were rescued from there and admitted to District Hospital Rudraprayag for preliminary treatment.
The SDRF also organised a search operation along the Srinagar Garhwal dam, some 40 kilometres downstream, apprehending that some passengers have been washed away because of the strong river current.
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