Meghalaya bus tragedy: Rescue ops called off after two more bodies recovered from Ringdi River on Friday

SHILLONG:

Two more bodies were recovered on Friday from the fateful Meghalaya State Transport Corporation (MTC) bus that plunged into the Ringdi River in Nonhchram village on September 30, bringing the total deaths in the accident to eight. The bus was taken out of the river with the help of tow trucks and cranes by district police and locals of the area.

The two bodies have been identified as that of Dapborlang Wankhar (40), the second driver, and Larsen Marak, a passenger from Chidekgre. With the recoveries, the State Rescue Team of Meghalaya called off the search operation at the river. The district police confirmed on social media that, in total, 16 passengers were rescued with the help of locals and the police.
 

En route to Shillong from Tura, the late-night bus, which was operated by the MTC, had 22 passengers onboard. Some of the survivors claim that the driver was speeding, when the bus skidded off the bridge at Nongchram, and plunged into the Ringdi River on Thursday, September 30. The accident occurred some 118 km from Tura, along the border between East Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills.

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