
Udaipur family's Char Dham pilgrimage ends in tragedy as tempo traveller plunges into Alaknanda; 12 feared dead
DEHRADUN: A devastating accident unfolded on Thursday morning in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district when a Tempo Traveller carrying a family of pilgrims from Udaipur, Rajasthan, lost control and plunged into the Alaknanda River. The vehicle, with 20 members of the same family on a Char Dham Yatra, was swept away by the river's powerful currents.
According to the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), three bodies have been recovered so far, identified as Vishal Soni (41), Dreamy (17), and Gauri Soni (41). Nine pilgrims remain missing, while eight injured individuals have been hospitalised four of them in critical condition. SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi confirmed that, despite extensive efforts, the submerged Tempo Traveller has yet to be located in the river.
'We received information about the accident around 7:30 AM. Our teams, along with the police and district administration, immediately launched a rescue operation with the help of divers,' Yaduvanshi stated. 'However, the strong currents and inaccessible terrain are posing significant difficulties in our relief efforts.'
District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar provided an update on the casualties, saying, 'Three individuals have succumbed to their injuries, including two women. Eight injured have been airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh for treatment.'

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News18
21 hours ago
- News18
'What Did We Do Wrong': 10-Year-Boy After Losing Both Parents In Uttarakhand Bus Accident
Last Updated: At least four people were killed after a 31-seater bus carrying pilgrims plunged into the Alaknanda River in the Gholtir area of Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag on Thursday. After a devastating bus accident in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag on Thursday, a heartbreaking video emerged of a 10-year-old boy, who was seen sobbing by the roadside and pleading with Lord Badrinath after losing both parents. At least four people were killed after a 31-seater bus carrying pilgrims plunged into the Alaknanda River in the Gholtir area of Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag. Three deceased passengers were found on Thursday, while another missing pilgrim was found dead yesterday. At least eight people are still missing and rescue operations are still going on, according to police. Six teams, including SDRF, NDRF, ITBP, the police, a district team and fire brigade personnel, are constantly searching for the missing people, said Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman. The boy, identified as Parth Soni, was the son of Vishal Soni, 42, and Gauri Soni, 41, from Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh and the sole survivor from his immediate family in the accident, according to a report by the Times of India. 'Oh Badri-Vishal, what have you done? What did we do wrong? We were your devotees!" he cried loudly as rescue operations began near the Alaknanda River after the tragic accident. Parth had travelled with his parents to Uttarakhand for Char Dham yatra and was seated next to his mother when the accident happened. He has been in a state of shock since the tragedy, said his uncle Nilesh Soni. Vishal and Gauri's bodies were handed over to the family on Friday and will reach Rajgarh by Saturday for the final rites. Meanwhile, hopes of rescuing the other missing pilgrims are turning bleak due to violent currents and muddy waters through which not much can be seen, authorities said. Rescue teams are using rafts to locate the bus and other pilgrims. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met the injured and their relatives at AIIMS, Rishikesh and assured them of all help from the government. 'We stand with the families of the victims of the accident with full sensitivity," he 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. There were 20 people, including the driver, on board the vehicle when it fell into the river, police said. (with agency inputs) First Published:


Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Movement restricted in Rudraprayag as heavy rain disrupts Kedarnath Yatra
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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
Udaipur family's Char Dham pilgrimage ends in tragedy as tempo traveller plunges into Alaknanda; 12 feared dead
DEHRADUN: A devastating accident unfolded on Thursday morning in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district when a Tempo Traveller carrying a family of pilgrims from Udaipur, Rajasthan, lost control and plunged into the Alaknanda River. The vehicle, with 20 members of the same family on a Char Dham Yatra, was swept away by the river's powerful currents. According to the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), three bodies have been recovered so far, identified as Vishal Soni (41), Dreamy (17), and Gauri Soni (41). Nine pilgrims remain missing, while eight injured individuals have been hospitalised four of them in critical condition. SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi confirmed that, despite extensive efforts, the submerged Tempo Traveller has yet to be located in the river. 'We received information about the accident around 7:30 AM. Our teams, along with the police and district administration, immediately launched a rescue operation with the help of divers,' Yaduvanshi stated. 'However, the strong currents and inaccessible terrain are posing significant difficulties in our relief efforts.' District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar provided an update on the casualties, saying, 'Three individuals have succumbed to their injuries, including two women. Eight injured have been airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh for treatment.'