20 bodies recovered in rain-ravaged Kullu; Punjab bus found in Beas

As water level recedes, missing bus on Chandigarh-Manali route surfaces in Beas river; body of driver recovered, no trace of conductor, passengers

The bodies of 20 people, including the driver of a Punjab Roadways bus that had been missing for the past two days, were recovered in the rain-ravaged Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday.

The Punjab Roadways bus, which went missing two days ago, was spotted in the Beas river on Thursday. (HT photo)

The district had been grappling with unprecedented heavy rain over the past five days that led to the flooding of the Beas river and triggered landslides. The district authorities confirmed that 11 of the 20 victims had been identified.

Of the bodies retrieved so far, three are of women. The bodies were found during rescue operations going for the past three days, said an official. “All these bodies have been found in different locations in Kullu. The wreckage of a PRTC bus was spotted in Beas river on Thursday. The PRTC bus which was on its way from Chandigarh to Manali was parked on the roadside when Beas washed away a portion of the road. “The bus driver has been tracked but the conductor is still untraceable, there were no passengers in the bus,” said additional director general of police Abhishekh Trivedi.

Among the deceased, 10 victims were swept away by the raging Beas, while seven devotees lost their lives on the treacherous route of the Shrikhand Yatra (pilgrimage) in the Nirmand area. The devotees succumbed to extreme cold and lack of oxygen in the high-altitude area.

The Punjab Roadways bus, which was going from Chandigarh to Manali when it went missing two days ago, was spotted in the Beas river as the water level receded on Thursday. The body of the driver was found but that of the conductor and the rest of the passengers are untraceable.

Three bodies were recovered from debris after landslides hit Lankabekar, Patlikulah and Brau, respectively.