Flash floods kill 8 people in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal during Durga puja visarjan
It was the Vijayadashami and hundreds were gathered at a river bank in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri to send the goddess away. But nature had different plans. The river where the idol immersion was taking place suddenly swelled due to flash floods, and several were swept away.
Here are the details:
Where: Mal river in Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal
When: The incident took place between 8.30-9 pm on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.
What happened? Flash floods during idol immersion on Bijoya Dashami wreaked havoc on the crowd gathered at the banks of the Mal river. Several were swept away.
- At least 8 bodies have been recovered so far, 4 of which are of women.
- An unknown number of people are still missing. Netizens say the number of dead could be in double digits.
- 13 people received minor injuries and were treated for the same.
- Around 50 people have been rescued.
Rescue operations are still underway. NDRF and civil defence were deployed. Search is also underway downstream.
Videos of the flash floods shared on Twitter show scary scenes at the river. Several people were seen trapped in the river as waters gushed, while others were swept away out of view as people looked on helplessly.
A man also jumped into the river from safety to rescue someone.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his anguish in a tweet and extended condolences to those who lost their loved ones.
West Bengal BJP MLA Suvendhu Adhikari requested the authorities to step up rescue efforts.
BJP National Vice President Dilip Ghosh said that 30-40 people have gone missing during the flash floods.
Several more festival-related accidents were reported on October 5. In Agra, Uttar Pradesh, a 15-year-old boy, and two other people drowned in the Yamuna river during Durga idol immersion. Search operations are still underway.
In Haryana, the burning effigy of Ravan almost fell on the people gathered. Fortunately, the accident was averted and no one was injured.