SONAMARG ACCIDENT | Day 2: Rescue operation resumes to trace missing persons

Ganderbal, Apr 29:  The rescue operation to trace the missing persons from Sunday’s accident in Sonamarg resumed on Monday morning.

A cab JK13B 8950 with at least nine persons onboard had rolled into the nallah Sindh near the Hung area of Sonamarg on Sunday.

Police teams from Police Station Gund, Sonamarg headed by teams of SDRF, NDRF, Army, CRPF, and other departments besides local volunteers resumed the rescue operation amid the inclement weather on Monday morning.

During the search operation, one more body was recovered, taking the death toll to five while one more person is still missing.

Three persons were rescued on Sunday.

Of these, two in injured conditions were shifted to a hospital for medical treatment.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Traffic, Rural Kashmir, Ravinder Pal Singh along with DySP Traffic Rural Kashmir, Gulzar Ahmed also visited the accident spot to assess the situation.

SHO Police station Gund, Lateef Ali told Greater Kashmir that the search and rescue operation resumed on Monday and during the search, one more body was retrieved.

He said that one more person was missing and a search operation was on.

Ali said that continuous rainfall and inclement weather were hampering the search operation.

Police said that at around 4 pm on Sunday, a cab JK13B 8950 driven by Muhammad Saleem Mir, son of Abdul Rashid Mir of Akhal Kangan, carrying non-local tourists, labourers, and a local passenger while on way from Sonamarg to  Kangan skidded off the road at Gagangeer’s Hung stretch and plunged into nallah Sindh.

Four passengers including the driver were immediately rescued. Two in injured conditions were shifted to a hospital for treatment.

Four bodies were retrieved from the spot while two non-local female tourists were missing on Sunday.

The passengers travelling in the vehicle were Nema Pasang Sherpa, son of Kale Sherpa of Nemoh, Leh, a labourer originally from Kathmandu, Nepal, who is injured and under treatment at SKIMS; Nema Pasang Sherpa, son of Bale Sherpa of Nemoh, Leh, a labourer originally from Kathmandu, Nepal whose body was retrieved; Sameer Ahmad, son of Shageer Ahmad of Bareily Uttar Pradesh, a tourist who was injured and is under treatment at SKIMS; Sarfa Parveen, wife of Sameer Ahmad of Bareilly Uttar Pradesh, a tourist who is still missing; an unidentified male tourist from south India whose body was retrieved; an unidentified female tourist from South India whose body was retrieved; an unidentified female tourist from South India whose body retrieved; a female tourist from South India who is still missing; Fayaz Ahmad Ganaie, son of Ghulam Muhammad Ganaie of Shutkadi Sonamarg, a local photographer, who is safe.