In a tragic incident, at least eight persons drowned while bathing in the Meshwo River in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district on Friday evening, an official said. Providing information about the incident, Sub Divisional Magistrate B B Modiya said that the deceased were residents of Vasna Sogthi village in Dehgam taluka. The incident took place near the village.
After the incident, SDM Modiya said that he reached the spot to supervise the search and rescue operation. "We have recovered eight bodies from the river. Since it is still unclear how many people went into the water, search is still on. The deceased were locals, but they might have misjudged the river's depth at the spot," he said. He added that the water level rose recently due to an under-construction check dam a little distance away.
NDRF personnel also reached the site and started a rescue and relief mission. NDRF Team Commander Lakhan Raghuvanshi said, "Gandhinagar NDRF team is carrying out the rescue operation...8 bodies have been recovered and according to the villagers, one person is missing...Rescue operation is being conducted by a team of divers...A team of NDRF and SDRF is carrying out the rescue operation..."
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah condoled the deaths. In a post on X, Shah said, "Today I am deeply saddened by the news that 8 youths of Vasana Soghathi village of Dehgam, Gandhinagar drowned while taking a bath in the river. I am saddened by the calamity this unexpected departure has brought upon his family. May the Merciful God rest the departed souls in their Sricharan and give strength to all the families to bear the bereavement."
(With PTI Inputs)
