UKHRUL: A day-long search operation by the NDRF and SDRF along the Brahmaputra near Kharguli on Wednesday yielded no trace of the five missing individuals, part of a nine-member group that had gone to the riverbank earlier in the day.
According to officials, four members of the group managed to survive, while Pratap, Sagar, Upesh Kumar, Abhijit and Raunak remain missing.
The NDRF received a distress call around 12:50 pm from a woman, and teams reached the location within minutes.
Despite deploying four rescue boats, the search was hampered by the lack of eyewitnesses who could indicate the exact point where the incident occurred.
Investigators believe the group had visited the Bhakti Kutir Radha Govind Temple near Ramchai Hills before moving towards the river.
At the site, rescue teams found belongings believed to be of six to seven people, including Aadhaar and PAN cards belonging to Upesh Kumar.
Survivor Pranav Nayar from Vrindavan said the group had split moments before the incident. Another survivor recounted the terrifying moment the riverbed suddenly dropped.
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“We went to perform kirtan. The water seemed shallow, so we walked in till knee level. When I stepped forward, it suddenly became deep. Two people ahead were calling out to us, but we couldn’t hear. Six of us were caught in the water. I was under for 10–15 seconds trying to rise. They could swim, but the current was so strong it dragged them down,” he said.
Officials cautioned that although the river appears calm at the surface, strong undercurrents may have carried the missing five downstream. The search operations will continue.
Disclaimer: All information in this article is drawn from publicly available sources and/or insights provided by the experts consulted.