Panchkula youth among 2 drowned in Uttarakhand

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, August 13

Twentyone-year-old Rishabh Garg, a resident of Sector 8, Panchkula, drowned in the Ramganga river in Ramnagar, Uttarakhand, while another youth of Sector 7, Panchkula, was rescued by residents there.

Rishabh, along with five other students of Amity University, Noida, were on a trip to Ramnagar. The incident took place on the night of August 11. In the incident, two youths, Rishabh Garg and Shubham Pandey, a resident of Haldwani, Uttarkhand, died while the others, including Subham Mehra, a resident of Sector 7, Panchkula, were rescued.

Rishabh’s relative Amit Goyal said they received the body last night and the last rights were held today at the Mani Majra cremation ground. Rishabh’s father Anil Garg runs a marble business in Panchkula. Rishabh was a computer science student at Amity University, he said.

According to reports from Uttarakhand, the group had reached Ramnagar to visit Jim Corbett Park on Friday night. They stayed there at a resort. Around 9 pm, they went to a nearby eating joint. One of the employees of the resort also accompanied them. While returning, their vehicle got stuck in a culvert near the river. They got down from the car and tried to cross the river but were swept away by the strong currents. With the efforts of people their, the four students and the resort employee were saved. The bodies of the two were recovered 5 km away from the causeway on Saturday.

Kin weren’t aware of visit

An XUV vehicle was hired by the youngsters. As all of them knew how to drive, they did not take a driver along. The youngsters had not informed their family members about the visit. 

Last-ditch effort 

One of the rescuers in Ramnagar threw his pants to save Rishabh and Subham Pandey, but they could not catch it and were swept away.