Manali, June 9: Rescue workers on Monday morning recovered five bodies from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district while the fate of 19 others washed away in the flooded Beas river is still not known, an official said.
At least 24 students, including six girls, of the VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology in Hyderabad were reported missing after strong currents in the mighty Beas river washed them away. Their chances of survival of the rest of them were bleak, officials said.
More than 60 students and faculty members were on an excursion to the picturesque tourist resort of Manali.
Rai said one of the bodies was recovered from Pandoh dam, some 20 km downstream, whose floodgates were closed after the accident.
Chief minister Virbhadra Singh has ordered a probe and ordered the suspension of erring resident engineer of the 126 MW Larji hydropower project being run by the state electricity board. A case of negligence has been registered.
Telangana Home Minister Naini Narsimha Reddy and Government officials along with a police team on Monday left for Himachal Pradesh in the wake of 25 engineering students from Hyderabad being washed away in the Beas River.
Two teams of NDRF comprising of 45 members each have been dispatched to the mishap site to help local authorities in relief and rescue operations, according to a senior official of NDRF.
Earlier, as the Home Minister reached the airport, some parents of the students tried to gherao him demanding he provide information about their kin. They alleged that the government had not responded properly to the incident despite getting information from Himachal about the mishap.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao directed Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma to be in touch with his counterpart in Himachal Pradesh to expedite rescue operations.
Naidu meets officials
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday held a review meeting over the incident and directed the officials to arrange a special flight upto Chandigarh for taking parents of the students.
Educationist and State Minister P. Narayana, Kambampati Ram Mohan Rao, representative of Andhra Pradesh government officials are taking parents of the students, who were washed away by special flight to Chandigarh and from there they will be taken by a special vehicle to Kullu.