Dehradun/Uttarkashi: A temporary wooden bridge on the Gangotri-Gaumukh trek route collapsed, leaving 40 people stranded at Bhojwasa on Thursday afternoon. While the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rescued 38 individuals by Friday, two kanwariyas from Delhi, identified as Sooraj (23) and Monu (31), were swept away by the swollen stream and remain missing.
Among the stranded were 25 kanwariyas, five women research scholars from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), and eight tourists, including an Australian trekker. According to Devendra Patwal, the district disaster management officer, the bridge collapsed due to a sudden rise in water levels.
“The SDRF team first used ropes to create a 50-52 meter base to help the stranded people cross the swollen river,” said an SDRF official. “By Friday afternoon, the SDRF team, assisted by personnel from the forest department and district administration, rescued 16 people. By evening, all the remaining individuals safely crossed the stream.”
The search for the missing kanwariyas continued on Friday and will resume on Saturday morning, according to a senior district official. RN Pandey, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Gangotri National Park, mentioned that a team from the forest department has begun reconstructing the temporary wooden bridge near the Chirbasa area despite challenges posed by the swollen river and continuous rain. “Tourism activities inside the park will resume once the weather improves,” he added.
