Uttarakhand bus accident toll rises to 5, body of pilgrim found 40 km away

Rudraprayag: The body of a Gujarat native was retrieved from along the Alaknanda river in Pauri district, around 40 km away from the spot where her bus fell into the river near Gholtir in Rudraprayag district, officials said on Saturday. The woman's body was found in the Srinagar-Kirtinagar dam area, taking the toll in Thursday's bus accident to five. A 31-seater bus taking pilgrims from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Badrinath fell into the river near Gholtir between Rudraprayag and Gauchar. Four bodies had been found till Friday.

Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police Akshay Prahlad Konde said 19-year-old Mauli Soni, a resident of Puna Kumbharia, Gujarat was identified as the fifth person to have died in the accident. Srinagar town where her body was found on Saturday comes under Pauri district in Uttarakhand. Eight people injured in the accident, including the driver are under treatment, four of them at Rudraprayag district hospital and as many at AIIMS, Rishikesh. The rescue efforts are being hampered by violent currents of the river and its muddy waters, SDRF personnel engaged in the operations said. However, SDRF, NDRF, ITBP, the police and fire department personnel are searching constantly to trace the missing pilgrims.