Eight persons died in a flash flood during immersion of Durga Puja idols at Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal on Wednesday evening, said District Magistrate Moumita Godara Basu.
The mishap occurred when hundreds of people had gathered along the banks of river Mal on Wednesday evening for the immersion of idols. The District Magistrate said that there was no local prediction of rainfall but suddenly the water in the river rose, perhaps because of rainfall in higher areas like Sikkim.
About 30-40 persons who were stuck in the middle of the river were rescued by the district administration. The district administration had temporarily called off the immersion at the spot where flash floods occurred. Rescue operations are under way, the DM said.
Trinamool Congress MLA Bulu Chik Baraik, who represents the Mal constituency, said that the tragedy occurred at around 8.30 p.m. on Wednesday. “Thousands had gathered on the banks of the river and suddenly the water rose. People had no time to rush to higher ground. Many were swept away,” the MLA said. Videos from the site showed people running to safey while some of them were swept away.
In Murshidabad district, three people drowned after falling from boats during immersion of idols in a river.
