At least nine people, including a girl, were killed after a van carrying 11 passengers was swept away by strong currents while crossing a swollen drain in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district on Monday, police said.
The incident took place around 9 am near Sarangpur town, when the van driver attempted to cross a culvert near the Padana bypass amid heavy rainfall. Two passengers managed to swim to safety after the vehicle was swept into the overflowing drain.
According to police and eyewitnesses, villagers and local officials had warned the driver against attempting to cross the waterlogged stretch. The driver, however, proceeded into the strong current. The vehicle was swept away and submerged within moments.
Villagers launched a rescue operation, using ropes to reach the vehicle and pull passengers to safety. Despite their efforts, nine people died in the incident. Their bodies were subsequently recovered.
Sarangpur SDOP Arvind Singh said rivers and drains in the area were overflowing following heavy rainfall. A case has been registered at Sarangpur police station, he said.
The incident came amid heavy rains that triggered flooding and waterlogging at several locations in Rajgarh district.
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In another rain-related incident in the district, six devotees were stranded inside the Jal Mandir in Khilchipur after the Gadganga River suddenly swelled following heavy rain.
The devotees had gone to the temple to offer prayers on the second Monday of Sawan when rising water levels left them stranded. As the water reached waist height, they took shelter inside the temple and used stools and other belongings to stay above the rising water.
They recorded a video from inside the temple and shared it on social media, following which authorities were alerted.
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.
In another incident on Bhojpur Road, three people were trapped by the strong current of the Gadganga River. They managed to save themselves by climbing onto the roof of a toilet before being rescued by police.
Two other people who were stranded inside a hut were also safely evacuated, officials said.
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