The search for three people missing after a Delhi-registered vehicle carrying 10 people plunged nearly 300 feet into the Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district entered its fourth day on Sunday.
The accident occurred around 6 am on August 13 in the Sarti area along NH-113 on the Walong-Hawai road, near the India-China border. The vehicle fell into a deep gorge before landing in the river and becoming submerged.
One woman was killed, while six others, including four men, a woman and a child, were rescued with injuries. Three people remain missing.
The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Anjaw, launched a search operation with the district administration, Anjaw Police, Indian Army, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local residents and volunteers.
On Sunday, an NDRF team began specialised search operations around 8.45 am with assistance from the SDRF. The teams are focusing on downstream stretches of the Lohit River and areas where the missing persons may have been carried by the strong current.
On Saturday, SDRF and police teams conducted a combing operation covering around 12 km downstream but failed to trace the missing persons. The operation was called off around 5 pm.
The NDRF team subsequently reached the site to assist with the underwater search. Authorities had sought its assistance as the SDRF had limited resources for the operation.
Search efforts are continuing to locate the three missing persons and recover the submerged vehicle.
