Rishikesh, Jan 9 (PTI) Uttarakhand Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal on Tuesday ordered a high-level inquiry into the accident in which four people, including two forest rangers, were killed while Rajaji Tiger Reserve's wildlife warden went missing.
Chief Wildlife Warden Samir Sinha has been entrusted with the probe and officials have been asked to expedite the search for the missing official, Uniyal said.
Expressing grief at the loss of lives, the minister said the Chilla barrage is being scoured in search of Wildlife Warden Aloki Devi, who fell into the canal after the accident on Monday.
The accident took place when an electric vehicle crashed into a tree after one of its tyres burst near the Chilla canal here. It first hit the tree beyond the Chilla powerhouse and then collided with the canal wall.
The electric vehicle was to be used for patrolling. Such electric vehicles have been bought by tiger reserves in different parts of the country, Uniyal said.
The deceased included forest rangers Shailesh Ghildiyal and Pramod Dhyani. A driver named Saif Ali Khan of the Chilla forest colony and another person, identified as Kulraj Singh, were the other two killed in the incident.
The SDRF, fire services, Jal Police, and local people are scouring the canal on rafts in search of Devi. Four people were also injured in the accident and rushed to AIIMS, Rishikesh.
They were identified as Dr Rakesh Nautiyal, Himanshu Gusain, Amit Semwal and Ankush.