Kullu: Thirty five pilgrims still missing ten days after a private bus carrying Sikh pilgrims rolled off a narrow road to Manikaran in Kullu valley, the district administration today deployed divers from Indian Navy and are using sonar’s imagery to locate the bodies of the missing passengers in the fast flowing River Parvati.
District magistrate Rakesh Kanwar, who is supervising the operation to locate the missing passengers told Hill Post, “A 12 member team from the Indian Navy is being deployed to take up the search operation.
“Six members have arrived and done a recce at the accident site near Sarsari village and others are on their way,” he informed.
“From tomorrow (2nd August, 2015) the navy team would carry out an extensive search operation from Sarsari to Largi Dam; they would use a sonar system in trying to trace the bodies of the missing persons in the river course,” said Kanwar.
A sonar system using sound waves for navigation and identifying objects within its range.
More than 600 personnel belonging to HP Police, National Disaster Response Force, SSB, ITBP, Home Guards and BBMB divers have been carrying out intense search operations along the river stretch between the accident site and the dam of Beas River, but have failed to locate the missing persons.
The large private bus from Punjab had failed to negotiate the narrow road to Manikaran, on July 22 and had rolled into the fast flowing river. Only 11 bodies were recovered and 35 were missing.
Besides hot water springs at Manikaran is a Gurudwara that is visited by may Sikh pilgrims each year. The belief is that Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion during his extensive travels had visited Manikaran also.
A theater artist, a script writer and a TV anchor, news is something that grips Renuka. She lives in Kullu.
