At least eight people drowned, and several others are missing in flash floods that occurred during the immersion of idols of Goddess Durga in the Mal river in Jalpaiguri district on the occasion of Vijayadashami, Report informs, citing foreign media sources.
A senior official said that at the time of the incident, hundreds of people had gathered on the banks of the Mal River for the Visargan when the incident took place. Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Moumita Godara gave a media update and said that people were washed away due to the sudden intensification of water in the river.
So far, eight bodies have been recovered, and 50 people have been rescued.
He added that 13 people with minor injuries have been admitted to a nearby hospital. And the search and rescue operation is being carried out by NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) with the help of police and local administration.