New Delhi: Nine people, including eight members of a family, died and two others went missing after their vehicle got swept away by the flooded Jaijon Choe, a seasonal rivulet around 34 km from Hoshiarpur. The rivulet was swollen due to heavy rainfall that lashed several parts of Punjab and other areas.
Eleven members of a family, along with a driver, were travelling in the SUV from Dehra near Mehatpur in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district to Mehrowal village in Punjab’s SBS Nagar district to attend a wedding, police officials said, according to PTI.
As they were crossing the Jaijon Choe, which was in spate due to heavy rain, their vehicle got swept away, the police said.
According to the report, some locals had even warned the driver not to cross the rivulet because of the strong water current but he ignored it and moved ahead. However, several locals managed to rescue one occupant, Deepak Bhatia and took him to the Government Dispensary in Jaijon, the report added.
Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal was quoted as saying that a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed to assist in the rescue and search operations for the missing individuals.
Senior Superintendent of Police Surendra Lamba said nine bodies, including those of five females, have been recovered from the rivulet. Efforts were on to trace the two missing persons, PTI reported.
The family members of the deceased have told the police that there were twelve people in the SUV.
