Agar-Malwa/Bhubaneswar: Eight devotees, including three children and two women, were killed after the car they were travelling in was swept away by a rain-swollen stream near the Maa Baglamukhi Temple in Nalkheda in Madhya Pradesh’s Agar-Malwa district, police said on Saturday.
The victims were residents of Odisha and had travelled from Ujjain to Nalkheda to visit the temple, Superintendent of Police Dilip Kumar Soni said.
The accident occurred when the car attempted to cross the swollen stream near the temple amid a strong water current.
Preliminary findings suggest that the driver may have tried to cross the stream in haste, following which the vehicle was swept away by the force of the water.
As per reports, all the deceased belong to Bhubaneswar’s Jaydev Vihar area apart from the driver. The deceased are Banamali Behera’s family members. The mishap claimed the lives of Banamali’s son Siba Prasad Behera, daughters Radharani and Ritarani, son-in-law Gyanendra, two grandsons and a granddaughter. The car driver identified as Krushna Rajveer was also killed in the accident.
According to local records, the area received 3.7 inches of rainfall in the previous 24 hours, with the intensity peaking during the night.
The sudden rise in water level in the seasonal stream after heavy rain turned a routine temple visit into a major tragedy.
“Eight people died in the incident. The deceased include three children, two women and three men,” Soni said.
Following the incident, administrative officials and rescue teams rushed to the spot and launched an operation to trace the vehicle and recover the occupants.
The car was subsequently located during the rescue operation. The vehicle was identified as a Maruti Suzuki S-Presso bearing registration number MP 13 AF 7135, police said.
“The deceased were residents of Odisha and had come from Ujjain to visit the Maa Baglamukhi Temple. Their identities are being ascertained,” the SP said.
A large number of people gathered at the spot following the accident as police and rescue personnel continued the operation.
Officials are also collecting details to establish the circumstances leading to the incident. The process of identifying the deceased and informing their families is underway, while further legal formalities are being completed.
IANS
