Beas River disaster
2014 mass drowning in Himachal Pradesh, India
The Beas River disaster refers to the 8 June 2014 drowning of 24 second-year engineering students (6 female and 18 male) and one tour operator from V.N.R. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology of Hyderabad at the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh. The accident took place in the Thalout area (Shalanala Village) of Mandi district and was the result of a sudden surge of river water released upstream from the Larji hydro electric project.
Incident
Forty-eight students and three faculty/staff members of the V.N.R. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology (Hyderabad) were on an educational/industrial tour from Shimla to Manali, about 200 kilometres (130 miles) from Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla. Some of them were photographing themselves on the banks of the Beas River on the Mandi-Manali National Highway NH-21, when they were washed away as the water flow in the river suddenly increased. The surge of water occurred when the Larji hydroelectric power project opened its floodgates, sending tonnes of water downstream.
The dam water was released suddenly by the dam authorities without prior notice. Two students, Raman Teja Venigalla and Biswas Nandamuri, were alarmed when men on the shore collecting sand began to point and yell "Dam" just a few seconds before the water gushed in.
Footage surfaced on the internet two days after the incident which showed how the victims were caught unaware before the river carried them away. The video was shot by Bihari Lal, who was present about 100 metres above the river bed on a hilly area where a wedding was being held.
Sensing the danger Kiran Kumar Muppidi and Asish Mantha selflessly started helping the other students to reach the river bank.
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