At least nine people, including a girl, were killed after a van carrying 11 passengers was swept away while crossing a swollen drain amid heavy rains in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh on Monday (August 10), police said. Two passengers managed to swim to safety after the incident, which occurred around 9 am near Sarangpur town when the van driver was attempting to make his way through the Padana bypass culvert, an official said.
Local had warned driver
According to eyewitnesses, local administration officials and villagers at the spot had warned the driver against proceeding, but he ignored their warnings. Within moments, the strong current swept the van into the water.
Villagers, risking their own lives, tied ropes and launched a rescue operation, managing to pull some passengers to safety, they said.
The bodies of nine people, including a girl, were subsequently recovered.
Sarangpur SDOP Arvind Singh said rivers and drains were overflowing across the area due to heavy rains on Monday.
The driver recklessly attempted to cross the strong current at a drain near the Padana bypass, causing the van to be swept away and sink within moments, killing nine people, Singh said. A case has been registered at Sarangpur police station, he added.
Six people stranded in temple in Rajgarh
In another incident, six devotees who had gone to the Jal Mandir in Khilchipur, Rajgarh district, to offer prayers on the second Monday of Sawan were stranded after the Gadganga River suddenly swelled following heavy rain. As the water level rose to waist height, the devotees took shelter inside the temple and used stools and other belongings to stay above the rising water. They also recorded a video from inside the temple and shared it on social media.
After receiving information about the incident, Rajgarh Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Tolani and teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached the spot and safely evacuated all six devotees.
The SP said three other people were also trapped in floodwaters on Bhojpur Road due to the strong current of the Gadganga River. They saved themselves by climbing onto the roof of a toilet and were later rescued by police. Two more people stranded in a hut were also safely evacuated.
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