The bodies of three persons missing from Samej in Shimla district have been recovered from the Sunni power project dam more than 80 km downstream in Sutlej river even as search operations continue to locate 33 others who are still missing. The recovery effort spans an 85-km stretch along the Sutlej.
Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap confirmed the identities of the deceased. Among those found were Siddharth Kheda, a worker of Greenco project; Rachna, wife of Rajesh Kumar from Kondri, Sugha post office in Sarpara; and Preetika, alias Muskan, daughter of Rajkumar Pandey from Jharkhand. All three had been missing from Samej.
The devastating flood that hit Samej a week ago left the entire village destroyed and 36 persons unaccounted for. The ongoing search operation has so far resulted in the recovery of nine bodies, including those of the three persons from Samej.
Over 150 personnel and eight machines are actively involved in the search operations. Despite exhaustive efforts utilising every available technique, the search in Samej has yielded limited success.
The discovery of the bodies at Sunni Dam highlights the immense force of the floodwaters. Authorities have assured the local community that the search will continue until all missing individuals are accounted for and the villagers are satisfied with the efforts.
