8 of Una family, driver killed as SUV swept away in swollen rivulet
Nine people, including eight members of a family from Una in Himachal Pradesh, died and two others went missing after their vehicle was swept away
Nine people, including eight members of a family from Una in Himachal Pradesh, died and two others went missing after their vehicle was swept away in the flooded Jaijon Choe, a seasonal rivulet, around 34 km from Hoshiarpur on Sunday.

The rivulet was in spate due to heavy rainfall that lashed several parts of Punjab and other areas.
Eleven members of a family from Dehlan village in Una, along with a driver, were travelling in Toyota Innova to Mehrowal village in Punjab’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar to attend a wedding, police said. The incident occurred around 10.30 am. Some locals had warned the driver not to cross the choe because of strong current in the rivulet but he ignored it and moved ahead, said police.
“There were five vehicles and an earthmoving machine on the other side of the Jaijon Choe, waiting for the water to subside. The occupants of these vehicles asked the driver to stop, but the driver proceeded, leading to the tragic incident,” said Hoshiarpur senior superintendent of police Surendra Lamba.
The vehicle was swept away by the strong water current for approximately 200 meters downstream, said police. “The strong current gave little chance to passengers to move to safety,” said eyewitnesses. A video of the incident showed the vehicle was stuck in the flooded choe.
Those killed have been identified as Surjit Bhatia, his wife Paramjit Kaur, brother Saroop Chand, sister-in-law Binder, Shinno of Bhatoli in Mehatpur, her daughters Bhavna and Anu, son Harshit, and driver Bindu, the police said.
The SSP said nine bodies, including those of five females, have been recovered from the rivulet. Efforts were on to trace the two missing persons. However, several locals managed to rescue one occupant -- Deepak Bhatia -- and took him to the government dispensary in Jaijon.
Hoshiarpur deputy commissioner Komal Mittal said a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed to assist in the rescue and search operations for the missing individuals. She appealed to the public to desist from venturing in flood-prone areas.
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed condolences over the tragic incident and said that the state government stands in solidarity with the bereaved families during this time of distress. He assured that all possible assistance will be provided to them by the state government and district administration of Una has been directed in this regard.