Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) | Three children and a man drowned after being swept away in a stream following a sudden heavy rainfall in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district, police said on Tuesday.
The incident took place on Monday evening near Bhanwartank's Marhi Mata temple under Belgahna police outpost limits when a group of people, including the victims, visited the place, the outpost in-charge, Raj Singh, said.
As per preliminary information, around 40 persons comprising a family and their friends from Balodabazar-Bhatapara and Bilaspur district had come to visit the temple in a bus, he said.
After visiting the place, while they were crossing a stream, which had low water level, on foot to go towards their bus, heavy rain lashed the area suddenly.
Due to the downpour, water from the nearby hills quickly gushed into the stream that lay across their path. The four victims were swept away by the strong current, Singh said.
After being alerted, a rescue operation was launched at around 6 pm by a team comprising the State Disaster Response Force, police and revenue officials.
The bodies of the children were spotted late night, while the man's body was recovered a short distance from the spot at around 11 am on Tuesday, the official said.
The deceased have been identified as Mitan Dhruv (5) and Gauri Dhruv (13), both from Bitkuli village in neighbouring Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, Muskan Dhruv (13) and her father Balram Dhruv (45), from Parsada village in Bilaspur, he said.
The bodies have been sent to the Community Health Centre in Kota area for post-mortem and further legal formalities, the police said.
The deceased have been identified as Mitan Dhruv (5) and Gauri Dhruv (13), both from Bitkuli village in neighbouring Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, Muskan Dhruv (13) and her father Balram Dhruv (45), from Parsada village in Bilaspur, he said.
The bodies have been sent to the Community Health Centre in Kota area for post-mortem and further legal formalities, the police said.
