Bike found shattered, Hyderabad rider still missing in Himachal
HYDERABAD: A 42-year-old adventure motorcyclist from Hyderabad has been missing since July 19 after his motorcycle plunged into a gorge while he was riding solo from Padum in Ladakh’s Zanskar Valley to Lahaul in Himachal Pradesh.
The missing biker, Anil Marla, disappeared while travelling on the Darcha–Shinku La road. Rescue teams have recovered his motorcycle, which was found badly damaged in a fast-flowing stream below the road. His helmet, mobile phone and travel bag were also recovered, but there has been no trace of him.
Authorities fear Marla may have been swept away by the mountain stream into the Bhaga river. The strong current could have carried him downstream towards Tandi, where the Bhaga and Chandra rivers merge to form the Chenab.
Family seeks sustained search operation
Marla’s wife, Sumita Sharma, who is in Lahaul, appealed to authorities not to suspend the search.
“The search must not stop till my husband is found,” she said.
Sharma said she last spoke to her husband on July 18. The two exchanged text messages on the morning of July 19 before he began his journey from Padum.
“On July 19, Anil told me that he was on his way from Padum to Lahaul. When I tried calling him later that afternoon, his phone was switched off. I kept trying but there was no response. The next day I got the news of his accident,” she said.
She described Marla as an experienced and cautious rider.
“He is a very careful rider, not rash at all. There were witnesses who saw him fall. Police are helpful but I am being told again and again that the terrain is tough and such accidents keep happening on this road. If so, then there has to be some SOP to deal with the aftermath of such situations,” Sharma said.
Drone-assisted search under way
Search teams comprising the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and local volunteers have been combing the rugged terrain, riverbanks and inaccessible areas using drones.
Lahaul-Spiti Superintendent of Police Shivani Mehla said rescue efforts were continuing.
“We have not found any trace of the missing biker. Our search operations are continuing with the help of police, SDRF and drone operators. Every effort is being made to locate him,” Mehla said.
Marla was on his second trip to the region. He arrived in Kullu in May, hired a motorcycle in Bhuntar and spent several weeks in the valley before travelling to Ladakh in July.
His family has appealed to the district administrations and police in Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, and Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir, to continue monitoring the river for any trace of him.
