The district administration rescued about 30-40 people trapped in the middle of the river.
The district administration rescued about 30-40 people trapped in the middle of the river.
Eight people died in flash floods during the immersion of Durga Puja idols in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on Wednesday evening, District Magistrate Moumita Godara Basu said.
The accident happened when hundreds of people had gathered on the banks of the Mal river for idol immersion on Wednesday evening. The district magistrate said there was no local forecast of rain but suddenly the water in the river increased, probably due to rain in higher reaches like Sikkim.
About 30-40 people trapped in the middle of the river were rescued by the district administration. The district administration had temporarily halted the immersion at the spot where there was a flash flood. The DM informed that the rescue work is going on.
Trinamool Congress MLA Bulu Chik Barack, who represents Mal constituency, said the tragedy happened around 8.30 pm on Wednesday. “Thousands of people had gathered on the banks of the river and suddenly the water rose. People did not have time to go to higher places. Many were swept away,” the MLA said. Videos from the site showed people running safely, while some of them were swept away.
During idol immersion in Murshidabad district, three people died after falling from the boat and drowning in the river.