Four days on, no trace of missing medical intern

Even after four days of extensive search, there is no trace of the medical intern from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Government Medical College (PJNGMC), Chamba, who was swept away in the Ravi following a road accident.

The mishap occurred in the early hours of Sunday when the car carrying four interns skidded off the road and plunged into the river. One intern was killed in the accident, while two others sustained serious injuries.

Chamba Additional Superintendent of Police Hitesh Lakhanpal said a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has joined the local police, home guards, fire services and NHPC Chamera-I divers in the search.

On Tuesday, National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC) authorities even reduced the water flow in the Ravi by closing the gates of its Chamera-II Dam to aid the search operation, but the move yielded no results.

“Our teams are carrying out extensive searches with the help of NDRF personnel, divers and local volunteers. We are also using drones to scan the river stretch, but so far, there has been no success. The search will continue until the missing intern is found,” said Lakhanpal.

Meanwhile, villagers from Udaipur and Kiyani panchayats have also joined the efforts, with around 10–15 volunteers assisting authorities daily. Officials confirmed that the operation will resume on Thursday morning with renewed focus.