Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) [India], June 28 (ANI): The district administration in Rudraprayag is working to return the bodies of the four bus accident victims to their relatives, District Magistrate Prateek Jain said on Saturday. He also mentioned that the relatives have reached the district.

'Chief Minister has given us strict orders to make all the decisions with sensitivity and our team is in constant contact with the relatives of the passengers. Yesterday night too we were doing our best to make sure that the relatives reach Rudraprayag, and they have reached Rudraprayag today morning,' the DM said in a video released by the state's Information Department.

Highlighting that they are trying to deal with the situation as sensitively as possible, and that bodies will be returned after the post mortem is completed, he added, 'We are doing the process and post mortem of the bodies we have found and after the process is completed we will give the bodies to the relatives. We are doing all we can to deal with this as sensitively as possible.'

At least four persons were killed and eight others were injured after a bus carrying 20 passengers plunged into the Alaknanda river in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district on morning of June 26.

According to officials, the bus, en route to Badrinath from Rudraprayag, collided with an oncoming vehicle at Gholthir area, lost control, and fell into a 300 metre deep gorge before landing in the river.

Officials said the passengers included a driver from Haridwar, seven people from Rajasthan, three from Madhya Pradesh, seven from Gujarat, and two from Maharashtra.

Yesterday, after some of the injured passengers were lifted to AIIMS Rishikesh, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited them and reviewed the treatment and medical care being provided.

Visuals from the hospital showed CM Dhami speaking with the injured and their families, assuring them of all necessary assistance and support from the state government.

Following his visit to the hospital, in a post on X, the CM wrote, 'Upon reaching AIIMS, Rishikesh, I inquired about the well-being of passengers injured in the Rudraprayag bus accident and obtained information from doctors about the status of their treatment.'

'During this time, I gave necessary instructions to the concerned authorities and doctors for the best possible treatment of the injured. I also met with the families and assured them of every possible assistance. Our government stands with the injured and the families of the deceased in this difficult time. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of the injured,' he added.

Following the incident, personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), district police, fire department, and revenue teams reached the spot. Locals also assisted in the initial rescue work.

Officials said some passengers had jumped out of the bus before it plunged into the river. They were rescued from the gorge and sent to District Hospital Rudraprayag for first aid.

The SDRF also launched a search operation near the Srinagar Garhwal dam, approximately 40 kilometres downstream, fearing that some passengers may have been swept away due to the strong river current. (ANI)