Tehri Garhwal, June 3 -- An Innova car plunged into a deep gorge and was swept into a river after reportedly losing control in the Devprayag area of Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal district, officials said.

A total of eight people, including five women and three men, among them the driver, were travelling in the vehicle when the accident occurred on Tuesday.

Following the incident, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched an immediate search and rescue operation today. At present, SDRF's deep diving team is conducting an intensive search operation at various probable locations within the river.

Under the direction of SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi, SDRF teams are carrying out the operation in challenging conditions. Deep divers ...