One more body of a person, who was killed when a private tourist bus yesterday fell into the Parvati river here, was today found as rescue teams resumed large scale search efforts to locate more than 30 missing persons.
With this, the toll in the incident has risen to nine.
A joint team of TBP, SSB and police personnel resumed massive search operations in the wee hours of today. Rafters and divers are scouring the areas between the accident site and Pandoh and Larji dams in Mandi district, Kullu Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar said.
A 40-member NDRF contingent is expected to reach the accident site by the evening. The state government has sought the help of divers from Bhakra Beas Management board (BBMB) to locate the bodies and they have arrived here, Kanwar said.
Five bodies were recovered from the accident spot, two traced eight kilometres away near Jhiri while two more found at a distance of about two kms.
He said that 23 rescued persons have been rushed to the civil hospital in Kullu. Of these, four seriously injured have been referred to PGI, Chandigarh.
The gates of Pandoh dam have been shut to prevent the chances of the bodies flowing into the turbulent Beas river, he said.
The DC said a general alert has been sounded and people have been asked to remain vigilant and inform the administration or police if they spot a missing person or a body.
There were more than 60 people in the 52-seater bus according to its driver and conductor who have been hospitalised with injuries. Therefore, the number of the missing persons could be between 30 and 33, Kanwar said.
He said the driver was wary of disclosing the exact number of travellers as the bus was overloaded.
