Tragedy Strikes Pilgrims: Bus Plunge Claims Fifth Life in Uttarakhand

In a tragic development, the body of Mauli Soni from Gujarat was recovered from the Alaknanda river, 40 kilometers from where her bus met with a fatal accident near Gholtir, Rudraprayag district, officials reported Saturday.

This discovery raises the death toll from Thursday's accident, which involved a 31-seater bus carrying pilgrims from several Indian states, to five. The bus was en route to Badrinath when it fell into the river, leaving several injured and missing victims behind.

Rescue operations, hampered by the river's strong currents and murky waters, persist with the efforts of SDRF, NDRF, ITBP, police, and fire department personnel, as they desperately seek to locate and identify the remaining missing pilgrims.