MANALI/SHIMLA: The veil of mystery surrounding the missing bus tragedy has been lifted on August 2 here as the Kullu administration team finally recovered three dead bodies from the wreckage of the Bus stuck upside down in the receding Beas river after 24 days of anguish and uncertainty.
The harrowing journey of 13 people including driver and conductor had turned into a tragedy on July 10. A vigilant commuter had alerted the residents of Manali about a bus that disappeared into the surging Beas waters from the Allu Ground while it was on its way towards Kullu amidst the downpour.
It was July 9, when the heavens unleashed their fury, and Kullu-Manali bore the brunt of the heaviest rainfall to date, leaving the region in a state of calamity.
*The ill-fated bus, carrying thirteen persons on its way from Manali to Chandigarh, was tragically engulfed by the raging waters of the Beas river and disappeared into thin air, which was reported by HimbuMail on July 12(click the link).
Among the missing were a family of three - Abdul (62), Praveen (32), and young Alvir (5), whose bodies were recovered today from the site.
The driver's body was found in Mandi, over 105 km downstream from Manali, a few days earlier, adding to the sorrow.*
*Disturbingly, questions are now being raised about the role of the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) of its Response Force and its district and sub-divisional units.
IMD center Shimla had issued a red alert five days prior, warning of "very heavy and extremely heavy rainfalls," but it appears that the alarm fell on deaf ears.*
*Locals in Manali demand answers and accountability. Why were the bus and other private vehicles were allowed on the National Highway despite the known danger posed by the surging Beas river? Could the lives of those thirteen people have been saved if timely action had been taken? Their grief and anger are palpable.*
It was a vigilant man driving a Thar jeep, who witnessed the bus disappearing into the wrath of the Beas river near Allu Ground. Miraculously escaping the fury by reversing his jeep, he shared the devastating news with the locals on the same day which was reported by HimbuMail.*
*The calamity left hundreds of vehicles stranded, and the "bus carrying tourists" became the center of discussions among distressed locals. Now, the debris of numerous vehicles lies scattered amidst the receded river, but the fate of others remains unknown.*
*The floods, a cataclysmic event on June 9 and 10, shattered records as the Beas River unleashed its fury. Countless vehicles, including tippers, buses, and cars, were mercilessly swept away, leaving more than 100 cars with stranded tourists marooned between Kalath and Bahang on the Manali-Chandigarh Highway.*
After 24 days the life is slowly limping back to normal in Kullu-Manali amidst the scars heaped on the valley by the deluge in the Beas river. The traffic is restored on the right bank and left bank to Manali for the Light vehicles.
