MP: 9 passengers drown after van swept away in drain
What's the story
A tragic incident occurred in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district on Monday morning when a van carrying 11 passengers was swept away by a swollen nullah (drain), news agency PTI reported. The accident took place near Sarangpur town around 9:00am due to heavy rains. While two passengers managed to swim to safety, nine others, including a girl, drowned in the incident.
Warning ignored
Driver ignored warnings before crossing nullah
According to the report, eyewitnesses said that local administration staff and villagers had warned the driver against crossing the Padana bypass culvert due to dangerous conditions.
However, the driver ignored these warnings and drove into the strong current of the drain.
The van was soon swept away by the force of water.
Rescue efforts
Local villagers launched rescue operation
After the van was swept away, local villagers risked their lives to launch a rescue operation. They tied ropes and managed to pull out some passengers from the water.
Unfortunately, nine bodies were recovered from the scene later.
Sarangpur Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Arvind Singh confirmed that rivers and drains were overflowing due to heavy rains on Monday.