Chandigarh: Nine people, including eight members of a family, died and two others went missing after their vehicle was swept away in a flooded small seasonal river at Jaijon, about 34 km from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, on Sunday. The river is in spate due to heavy rains in Punjab. Police officials said that 11 members of the family, along with the driver of a sports utility vehicle (SUV), were going from Dehra near Mehatpur in Una district of Himachal Pradesh to Meharowal village in Punjab’s SBS Nagar district to attend a wedding ceremony.
Officials said that the vehicle was swept away when it crossed a small river filled with water due to heavy rains in Jaijon. Police said that some local people also warned the driver against crossing the river due to strong waves of water, but he ignored them and went ahead. However, local residents somehow rescued Deepak Bhatia, a passenger in the vehicle, and took him to the government hospital in Jaijon.
In a video of the incident, the vehicle is seen stuck in the water-filled river. Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said a team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed to assist in the rescue and search operations for missing persons. Senior Superintendent of Police Surendra Lamba said bodies of nine people, including five women, have been recovered from the river while search for two missing persons is on. The relatives of the deceased told the police that there were 12 people in the vehicle. On
the other side of the river at Jaijon, around five vehicles and a JCB machine brought from Himachal Pradesh are stationed, waiting for the water to recede. Lamba said the occupants of these vehicles asked the driver to stop, but he drove the vehicle ahead, leading to the tragic incident. Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagir Singh said the vehicle was swept away by the strong waters and went down about 200 metres. Police said the deceased have been identified as Surjit Bhatia, his wife Paramjit Kaur, brother Swaroop Chand, sister-in-law Binder, nieces Bhawna and Anu, nephew Harshit and driver Bindu.
