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{{Use Indian English|date=June 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox News event
|image=
|caption= Beas River Tragedy
|date=8 June 2014
|time= 18:30 [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
|place=[[Beas River]], [[Mandi district]], Himachal Pradesh, India
|casualties1= 25 dead

}}
'''2014 Beas River disaster''' refers to the 8 June 2014 drowning of 24 second-year engineering students (six female and 18 male) and one tour operator from [[VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/24-students-feared-drowned-in-Beas-river-in-Himachal-2-bodies-recovered/articleshow/36275611.cms |title=24 students from Hyderabad feared drowned in Beas river in Himachal, 5 bodies recovered |work=The Times of India|date=9 June 2014 |accessdate=2014-06-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Beas river tragedy: 7 key points | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Beas-river-tragedy-7-key-points/articleshow/36357851.cms |date= 10 June 2014|accessdate = 2014-06-12| work = The Times of India}}</ref><ref name="deccan-journal1">{{cite web|url=http://deccan-journal.com/content/vignana-jyothi-students-washed-away-hp |title=Vignana Jyothi students washed away in HP |publisher=Deccan-journal.com |accessdate=2014-06-12}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/beas-tragedy-another-students-body-recovered/1/367468.html Beas tragedy: Another student's body recovered : India, News - India Today]</ref>

==Incident==
48 students<ref name="deccan-journal1"/> and three faculty/staff members of the [[VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology|V.N.R. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology]] ([[Hyderabad]]) were on an educational/industrial tour from [[Shimla]] to [[Manali, Himachal Pradesh|Manali]], about 200 kilometres (130 miles) from [[Himachal Pradesh]] capital [[Shimla]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/himachal-tragedy-hc-calls-its-grave-negligence-search-for-missing-students-continue/article1-1227888.aspx |title=Beas river tragedy: HC calls its 'grave negligence', seeks status report; search continues |work=Hindustan Times|date=9 June 2014|accessdate=2014-06-12}}</ref> 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<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/X8NaZmnppusJGEr6CgNk0K/When-India-lost-its-student-engineers-on-sand-mafia-path-to.html|title=When India lost its student engineers on sand mafia path to Beas river|last=&|first=Tom Lasseter|date=2014-12-17|newspaper=livemint.com/|access-date=2016-11-09}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-17/indian-college-kids-a-sand-mafia-path-a-river-of-death.html|title=Inside India's Deadly Sand Mafia|last=Lasseter|first=Tom|last2=Speed|first2=Rakteem Katakey 2014-12-17T01:30:00Z- Comments Email Print|newspaper=Bloomberg|access-date=2016-11-06}}</ref> were alarmed when men on the shore collecting sand began to point and yell "Dam"<ref name=":0" /> 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 .<ref name="video">{{cite web|title=Video of Beas River Tragedy goes Viral on Internet|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/06/video-of-beas-river-tragedy-goes-viral-on-internet/|work=IANS|publisher=news.biharprabha.com|accessdate=12 June 2014}}</ref>

Sensing the danger<ref>{{Cite web|title = M Kiran Kumar, the hero who saved lives of 4 batchmates, before the Beas swept him away|url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/M-Kiran-Kumar-the-hero-who-saved-lives-of-4-batchmates-before-the-Beas-swept-him-away/articleshow/36314338.cms|website =The Times of India|accessdate = 2015-10-10}}</ref><ref>{{URL|1 = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42mNOvNOiLA}}Himachal Pradesh Tragedy - How some students saved their friends lives? - HP Tragedy</ref> and Asish Mantha selflessly started helping the other students to reach the river bank. It has been reported by the surviving students that Kiran Kumar Muppidi had saved five fellow students before he slipped away. Devasish Bose was seen fighting hard to save one of the fellow students before he went missing. According to first hand witness the unofficial tour guide had jumped into the current to save some students.

==Rescue==
Authorities deployed over 550 rescue team members including divers from [[National Disaster Response Force|NDRF]], [[Sashastra Seema Bal]] (SSB), and Indo-Tibetan Border Police [[ITBP]], Indian Army, Indian Navy, the Paramilitary, the local firemen and policemen, and a private team of swimmers and divers trained by the Additional DGP of Police (Sports) in Telangana, Mr. Rajeev Trivedi. [[UAV]]s, multi-beam [[sonar]], and [[lidar]] were also deployed to trace missing students along the 15 km stretch from Larji Dam to Pandoh Dam.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vyas River tragedy: Water level lowered, but no bodies found|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/06/vyas-river-tragedy-water-level-lowered-but-no-bodies-found/|work=IANS|publisher=news.biharprabha.com|accessdate=14 June 2014}}</ref> Beginning 16 June, the parents of the students who were camping in Himachal Pradesh started leaving for their native places.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref>{{cite web|title=Parents asked to return back|url=http://deccan-journal.com/content/beas-tragedy-parents-asked-return-home|work=Deccan-Journal|accessdate=16 June 2014}}</ref>

The bodies of 23 of the 24 students, and the tour guide were recovered. Student Kalluri Sree Harsha's body was not recovered.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Two-months-on-father-awaits-Beas-tragedy-victims-body-DNA-report/articleshow/40022476.cms|date=2014-08-11|title=Two months on, father awaits Beas tragedy victim's body, DNA report}}</ref>

==Government response==

===Probe===
A case has been registered against officials of the Larji Hydroelectric Project and College for causing the death of 24 engineering students through negligence. The case was registered after eyewitnesses claimed that the hooter was not sounded before the flow of water into the river was increased.<ref name="video" />

An initial probe suggested that Larji power project was asked to reduce generation on the day of the tragedy but that plant officials instead shut it down. As a result of this, the water that had built up in its reservoir needed to be released, leading to a sudden surge in the Beas river.<ref>{{cite web|title=How Corruption and Mismanagement caused Beas River Tragedy?|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/06/how-corruption-and-mismanagement-caused-beas-river-tragedy/|work=IANS|publisher=news.biharprabha.com|accessdate=21 June 2014}}</ref> It has been reported by some news agencies that the Larji hydroelectric power project has been involved with local sand mafia and this was what made the officials open the gates without proper control.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The New York Times Blames 'Sand Mafia' for Beas Tragedy|url = http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/the-new-york-times-blames-sand-mafia-for-beas-tragedy-583075|website = NDTV.com|accessdate = 2015-10-10}}</ref>

==Compensation==
The Himachal High Court awarded compensation of 2,000,000 rupees to parents of students to paid in a ratio of 60:30:10 by the electricity board, the college and the state of Himachal Pradesh.<ref>https://factly.in/himachal-pradesh-tragedy-college-students-compenstation-20-lakh-rupees-to-parents-beas-river/</ref>

==References ==

{{reflist}}

{{coord missing|Himachal Pradesh}}
{{Disasters in India in 2014}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=2014 disasters in India, History of Himachal Pradesh (1947–present), 2010s in Himachal Pradesh, Disasters in Himachal Pradesh, Maritime incidents in India, Students in India, Filmed accidental deaths, Education in Telangana, Mandi district, Accidental deaths in India, Deaths by drowning, June 2014 events in India
|description=
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[[Category:2014 disasters in India]]
[[Category:History of Himachal Pradesh (1947–present)]]
[[Category:2010s in Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Disasters in Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in India]]
[[Category:Students in India]]
[[Category:Filmed accidental deaths]]
[[Category:Education in Telangana]]
[[Category:Mandi district]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in India]]
[[Category:Deaths by drowning]]
[[Category:June 2014 events in India]]

2014 Beas River Tragedy - Revision history

MetaBOT at 18:11, 8 July 2023