At least two people died while 10 others went missing after a bus they were travelling in fell into the Alaknanda River in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand on Thursday morning.
Police and the disaster response teams have reached the spot, and a rescue operation is underway.
According to reports, the bus was going uphill when the driver lost control near the Gholtir village on the Badrinath National Highway between Rudraprayag and Gauchar.
"One person has died and seven people injured after an 18-seater bus fell into the Alaknanda river in Gholthir of Rudraprayag district. Teams of SDRF, police and administration are present on the spot for the rescue operation," Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey had said.
Later, one more body was recovered from the river.
Those injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said Relief and rescue operations are being conducted on a war footing by the State Disaster Response Force (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"’ he said.
The deceased were identified as Vishal Soni (42) from Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Drimmy (17), a resident of Surat in Gujarat.
Those who are still missing are: Ravi Bhavasar (28) from Udaipur, Mauli Soni (19) from Gujarat, Lalit Kumar Soni (48) from Gogunda, Rajasthan, Gauri Soni (41) from Rajgarh, Sanjay Soni (55) from Udaipur, Mayuri (24) from Surat, Chetna Soni (52) from Udaipur, Cheshta (12) from Gujarat, Katta Ranjana Ashok (54) from Maharashtra and Sushila Soni (77) from Udaipur.