‘She remembers everything… she has nightmares’: Friend of woman injured in Uttarakhand accident | Delhi News

On June 15, Vandana was part of a group of 26 people who set out for Chopta – a small village in Uttarakhand known for its meadows and evergreen forests. She was accompanied by five friends – Mohini Pandey (27), Nikita Bhatt (26), Shubham Singh (26), Anjali Srivastava (27) and Smriti Sharma (28). All of them were living in a paid guest accommodation in Noida Sector 51.

At around 11.30 p.m., the speeder lost control on a bend outside the town of Rudraprayag and the vehicle plunged into the Alaknanda river, killing 14 people. Of Vandana’s group of six, only she and Shubham survived.

Sadhana is in good spirits and prays that her daughter will be able to return home soon. “There is not a single part of her body that is not injured. She is in a lot of pain… it is unbearable to see her in this condition. My heart stops beating every time she is in pain. The doctors said they have to perform some more surgeries. They have not yet said whether she is out of danger,” she said.

Vandana worked in a private company, her mother said, adding that the family has not received any support from the government to date.

Shubham, who works in an IT company in Noida, has been discharged from the hospital but is unable to speak for long due to her injuries.

Her childhood friend Beenu Agrahari said she was supposed to go on the trip too but decided against it as she was preparing for the NEET exam next year. “Shubham remembers everything – the vehicle hitting something and falling into the river. She has nightmares about the vehicle crashing…,” she said.

“She had asked me if I wanted to travel with the group… but I couldn’t… she had just moved four months ago. It was her first trip. From Noida, the six of them went to Delhi and from there they picked up the pace,” said Beenu. A resident of Gorakhpur, she is currently staying in Allahabad to prepare for the medical entrance exam.

After Shubham was discharged from AIIMS Rishikesh on Thursday, Beenu rushed to Lucknow to look after her friend and ensure that she took her medication on time.

She also claimed that the hospital where Shubham was first taken barely had the facilities to treat her, after which she was shifted to AIIMS Rishikesh. “It would take months for her to walk properly… Shubham has not received any compensation… her family had to foot the hospital bill,” she added.

“There is no greater pain than losing all your friends on a trip you have been planning for months,” said Beenu.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed concern over the incident and ordered an inquiry into the matter, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia donation of Rs 200,000 to the next of kin of all the deceased.