CHANDIGARH: Two IAF personnel from the Pathankot airbase were washed away after the water level of the Ravi rose unexpectedly near Chamba in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday evening. Three others were injured in the incident.
The two IAF personnel who were swept away were identified as 26-year-old Nitesh Mishra of Meerut and 30-year-old Shakti Singh of Jaipur. Their bodies were recovered by on Sunday morning and sent for autopsy. The bodies will be handed over to their families soon.
The three who managed to swim to safety and are now at the local hospital have been identified as Naval Pandey, Naveen Sharma and Gajender Singh. The water level in the river rose when surplus water was discharged from the Chamera dam of the National Hydro Power Corporation located upstream.
The airmen did not hear the siren which is sounded by the NHPC before releasing the water. An inquiry by the magistrate has been ordered by the authorities and will be conducted by additional district magistrate Shubhkaran Singh who will submit a report within fifteen days. Chamba, Deputy Commissioner Sudesh Mokhta said, “The five IAF personnel were on a holiday and were clicking pictures when suddenly the water level in the river rose and swept them away. While corporals Nitesh Mishra and Shakti Singh were swept away, the three others managed to swim to safety.”