Search continues for 3 missing Jaisalmer women in Alaknanda River 5 days after Devprayag tragedy

JAISALMER: Five days after a tragic road accident near Devprayag on the Rishikesh–Badrinath National Highway, three women from a Jaisalmer family remain missing in the Alaknanda River. With no breakthrough by Friday evening, search operations resumed on Saturday for the fifth consecutive day.

Teams of the SDRF, including deep-diving specialists, are continuing intensive search efforts in the river.

Meanwhile, the last rites of four family members who lost their lives in the accident were performed in Haridwar on Thursday. The family's only surviving injured member, 12-year-old Ayushman, was airlifted to for advanced treatment, where he remains under medical care.

The family from Jaisalmer had travelled to Uttarakhand on a Char Dham pilgrimage when the tragedy occurred. With three women still untraceable, anxiety among relatives continues to grow.

Authorities have stated that no possibility is being ruled out and that the search operation will continue relentlessly.

According to family members and officials, the bodies of 27-year-old Dr Dinesh Kumar, his 67-year-old mother Kamla Devi, and his 18-year-old niece Ashlesha, who died in the accident, were handed over to relatives after post-mortem examinations in Srinagar, Uttarakhand, on Thursday.

As three family members, i.e., Guddi Devi (40), her daughter Namrata (20), and another daughter reported as Janhvi (16) by officials, remain missing, the grieving family decided not to return to Jaisalmer immediately and instead performed the last rites of the deceased in Haridwar.

Witnesses described emotional scenes at the cremation ghat, where mourners bid farewell to the victims.

Family members said that Guddi Devi and her two daughters have been missing since the accident. Specialized SDRF diving teams have been conducting continuous searches in the Alaknanda River, and the operation resumed again on Saturday.

Officials said the fast-flowing river, mountainous terrain, and muddy water conditions have made the search particularly challenging. Despite these difficulties, rescue personnel are using modern equipment to search different stretches of the river while senior police and administrative officials monitor the operation.

The SDRF has already searched nearly eight kilometres of the river in its efforts to locate the missing mother and daughters. Divers are now conducting deep-water searches in the Alaknanda.

The family's Toyota Innova, which plunged into the river during the accident, has also been recovered. However, the vehicle was found badly damaged and empty.

The only survivor of the accident, 12-year-old Ayushman, was airlifted from Srinagar Base Hospital to AIIMS Rishikesh on Thursday due to the seriousness of his injuries.

Doctors there are providing specialized treatment. Hospital authorities said that timely air evacuation enabled quicker medical intervention, and his condition is currently reported to be stable.

The family, residents of Dariyanath Ki Bawri area of Jaisalmer, had left for the Char Dham pilgrimage ten days earlier with great enthusiasm. On May 26, they had dropped family patriarch Loonaram at the in Haridwar for Panchakarma treatment before proceeding on the pilgrimage.

Their journey ended in tragedy when their Innova car reportedly lost control and plunged nearly 200 metres into a gorge before falling into the Alaknanda River near Devprayag.

The devastating accident has shattered an entire family, and despite days of intensive rescue efforts, the whereabouts of the missing women remain unknown.

SDRF divers and rescue teams continue to search the depths of the Alaknanda River in the hope of finding them.