Gujarat: Seven members of family feared drowned in Narmada river

On Wednesday, the National Disaster Rescue Force's (NDRF) local divers and the Vadodara fire team were running a search operation.

At least seven members of a family, including minors, are feared to have drowned in the Narmada River at Poicha in Gujarat's Narmada district on Tuesday. They were reportedly swept away by the river's current. 

At least seven members of a family, including minors, are feared to have drowned in the Narmada River at Poicha in Gujarat's Narmada district on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the National Disaster Rescue Force's (NDRF) local divers and Vadodara fire team ran a search operation but no traces were found of the victims so far. 

Police said the victims were part of a group from Surat who had travelled to Poicha, situated on the border of Vadodara and Narmada districts. 

Authorities reached the scene on Tuesday morning, soon after the incident occurred.

In the afternoon, a team from the 6BN NDRF from Jarod, Vadodara, reached Poicha to search for the missing individuals. 

Poicha is a renowned spot for summer outings, especially for swimming in the Narmada River. Recently, the Narmada district administration banned local boat operators from running boats in the river without a license.

Meanwhile, operators are still running boats on the Vadodara district side. 

In May, three men from Ambernath drowned in Barvi Dam near Asnoli village in Maharashtra. It happened when one of them got caught in a strong current while swimming, prompting the other two to try and rescue him.

Police officials reported that Suhas, 19, began to drown after getting caught in a vortex. Yuvraj and Hrithikesh, who were swimming nearby, heard his cries for help and rushed to rescue him. Tragically, they succumbed to the powerful currents and drowned, too. All three were the only children of their parents.

People in the riverside area, where families had gathered for leisure, alerted the police about the incident. With the help of villagers and firefighters, search operations were launched immediately. After several hours, the bodies of the three victims were recovered from the water. Hritikesh worked at a stock broking company, while Suhas and Yuvraj were college students.

(With inputs from ANI)