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Five from Punjab among 9 killed as river washes away car in Nainital
A local woman survives while her sister drowns; other victims belong to Patiala and Sangrur in Punjab besides Delhi NCR
Nine people, including five from Punjab, were killed while one person was rescued after the car they were travelling in was washed away in the Dhela river at Ramnagar in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district on Friday morning, officials said.
The victims had checked out from a home stay at Dhela village and were on their way to Ramnagar in an Ertiga car when the incident took place. They were trying to cross the road but the gushing water washed away the vehicle and it overturned downstream, said senior superintendent of police (SSP), Nainital, Pankaj Bhatt.
The Dhela river was in spate amid incessant rains across Uttarakhand over the past few days. “Locals and eyewitnesses informed us that they had cautioned the victims against crossing the flooded road, but they ignored their warning,” said the SSP.
Three men, six women among dead
The victims include three men and six women. They have been identified as Pawan Jacob (40), Kavita (30), Jahnvi, aka Sapna (32), and Iqbal, residents of Patiala in Punjab, and Amandeep Singh of Bhawanigarh in Punjab’s Sangrur, besides Sangeeta Tamang (35) and Heena (35) of New Delhi, Pinki Kumari of Noida, and Ashia of Ramnagar.
The only survivor was identified as Nazia (20), who is Ashia’s sister. She was sent to the Ramnagar hospital for treatment. “She is out of danger,” said another police official, adding that she had somehow managed to escape from a window of the overturned car.
According to police, a rescue operation was started as soon as the matter was reported to them around 5:30am. They immediately informed the disaster control room, and the state disaster response force (SDRF) reached the spot. The bodies were recovered after cutting the doors and glasses of the car, the SSP said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and governor Gurmit Singh expressed their condolences on the loss of lives.
SSP Bhatt said it’s a matter of investigation how these people belonging to different states came together. He said the check-in register of the home stay lacked details. “CCTV footage of the home stay is also being checked,” the senior police official said, adding that families of the deceased have been informed.
