Four killed two missing as car plunges into Bhagirathi river in Uttarkashi

Uttarkashi, Nov 5 (PTI) Four people, including two women, were killed after a car travelling along the Gangotri National Highway skidded off the road and plunged into the Bhagirathi river on Thursday, officials said.

     Seven people were travelling in the vehicle, which fell into the river near Gangani, the district administration said.

     Four bodies have been recovered, while a critically injured 17-year-old boy was rescued and rushed to the roadside. Two women are still missing, officials said.

     According to information received by the Emergency Operations Centre in Uttarkashi at 7 am, an Innova vehicle met with an accident near Gangani in Bhatwari tehsil and fell into the Bhagirathi river.

     Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, a 108 ambulance with a medical team, revenue department officials and a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team are present at the spot.

     "The injured person has been recovered from the river and brought to the roadside. Arrangements are underway to airlift him to a hospital. Meanwhile, search operations for the missing persons are in progress," the district administration said in an action taken report.

     Officials said the passengers were residents of the Sabarmati area in Gujarat and were travelling from Uttarkashi towards Gangotri Dham.

     The four people killed have been identified as Patel Ashokben (49), Rutika Ashokbhai Patel (19), Ghanshyambhai Sarvaliya (32), all residents of Gujarat, and Surendra Singh, the driver who hailed from Haridwar.

     A 17-year-old boy, Patel Vedant Ashokbhai, a resident of Gujarat, was rescued in a critical condition. Arrangements are being made to airlift him to a hospital, officials said.

     The two missing women have been identified as Patel Sudaben Ashokbhai (45) and Patel Kiranben Vishalbhai (34), they added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)