Uttarakhand Bus Accident: Surat’s Soni Families Grieve As Three Daughters Still Missing

Surat: A pilgrimage turned into a nightmare for two families from Surat after a private tour bus plunged into the Alaknanda River in Uttarakhand last week. The devastating crash claimed at least two lives and left three young girls missing, while several others were rescued with injuries.

On June 16, a group of devotees from Surat embarked on a religious trip to the Himalayas aboard a private travel agency’s bus from Udaipur. Among them were nine members of two interrelated families, the Soni families of Vidhata Jewellers and Madhuram Jewellers.

While navigating the hilly terrain near Rudraprayag, the bus veered off the road and fell into the Alaknanda River. The impact swept passengers into the violent current, sparking a massive search-and-rescue operation by local authorities and the NDRF.

Five days after the incident, search teams recovered the body of Lalit Soni, one of the passengers, nearly 150 kilometers downstream. His remains were taken to his native village in Rajasthan for final rites.

Earlier, the body of Dreamy Soni (17), daughter of Ishwar Soni, was also recovered and cremated in Rajasthan. However, three daughters from the two families, 12-year-old Cheshta Soni, and Lalit Soni’s daughters Mayuri and Mauli, are still missing, and efforts to locate them continue.

Several members of the Soni families survived the crash but are undergoing treatment. Ishwar Soni, who runs Vidhata Jewellers in Surat’s Parvat Patiya area, was airlifted to Rishikesh in critical condition. His wife Bhavna and son Bhavya are also hospitalized.

Hemlata Soni, wife of the late Lalit Soni and a resident of Godadara, was rescued but remains in a life-threatening condition. The couple’s elder children, who had not joined the trip, survived by staying back in Surat.

The pilgrimage, which was meant to be a spiritual journey, has now become a haunting memory for the Soni families. Photos taken during the trip are now painful reminders of what was supposed to be a time of devotion and togetherness.

With rescue operations still underway, the families cling to hope for the missing girls. Meanwhile, the tragedy has sparked renewed concerns over the safety of buses operating on hazardous mountain routes during religious tour seasons.

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