Damoh , A truck driver and cleaner were killed after their cement-laden vehicle fell into a river in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district, police said on Sunday.
The two bodies were recovered in the wee hours of the day after cranes were deployed to move the heavy vehicle from the Chilhghat River, an official said.
Around 1 am on Saturday, the 18-wheeler truck, carrying cement from Katni towards Damoh, lost control while crossing the river bridge on the Damoh-Katni road, crashed through the railing and plunged around 40 feet into the river, Kumhari police station in-charge Brijesh Pandey told reporters.
The vehicle overturned and lodged in the river, and locals spotted it in the water the following morning and alerted the police.
He said that the police suspected that two people could be trapped inside the vehicle. But the strong currents hampered rescue efforts, following which a team from the State Disaster Response Force was roped in.
Large quantities of cement loaded on the truck made it extremely difficult to move the vehicle, and rescuers were also unable to ascertain how many people were inside, the official said.
The rescue operation was temporarily halted around 2 pm on Saturday. Three specialised cranes were subsequently brought from Jabalpur by evening, following which the operation resumed, he said.
{{/usCountry}}The rescue operation was temporarily halted around 2 pm on Saturday. Three specialised cranes were subsequently brought from Jabalpur by evening, following which the operation resumed, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Late last night, rescuers noticed a hand inside the truck's cabin as the vehicle was being slowly moved with the help of the cranes.
Using powerful lights, the SDRF personnel examined the cabin and spotted two bodies inside, and after considerable effort, extricated them overnight, the official said.
The deceased truck driver Abhishek Vanshkar and cleaner Tulsinath were residents of Vidisha district, he said.
The truck, still heavily loaded with cement, remains stuck in the river and efforts are underway to pull it out, the officer said.
Continuous rainfall in the area over the past three days had caused the river to flow strongly, making the rescue operation particularly challenging, police said.
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