Tourist tragedy in Kashmir: 4 bodies recovered as cab plunges into raging Sindh River in Gagangir, Sonamarg | India News

Rescue efforts involving a joint team of police, army personnel, disaster response forces and local volunteers have so far recovered four bodies from the raging waters.

The challenging weather conditions have forced rescuers to temporarily suspend operations until the following day. (Photo Source: X)

New Delhi: A scenic journey turned into a nightmare in the Gagangir Sonamarg area of Kashmir, as a vehicle carrying tourists plunged into the overflowing Sindh River along the Srinagar-Leh highway. Rescue efforts involving a joint team of police, army personnel, disaster response forces and local volunteers have so far recovered four bodies from the raging waters.

The accident, which occurred amid heavy rainfall in the region, has left authorities fearing the worst. The driver of the vehicle remains unaccounted for, while all other passengers are confirmed to be tourists.

According to the local media, an official said that soon after receiving information about the tragic incident, a widescale rescue operation was jointly launched by Police, Army’s 34 Assam Rifles, Traffic Rural Police, Civil administration, locals, SDRF and NDRF, which yielded retrieval of four bodies.

“All the persons boarding the vehicle except for the driver were tourists,” the official said, adding, “except for him (driver) no one other person has been rescued safely up to now.”

The challenging weather conditions have forced rescuers to temporarily suspend operations until the following day. Hopes of finding survivors dwindle as the hours pass, leaving families and the community grappling with the devastating loss. “Due to ongoing heavy rains in the area, the operation has been called off till tomorrow,” the official added.

(This is a developing story)