Five migrant workers, including a teenage girl, engaged in mining in Yamuna river bed in Sirmaur district were today rescued from the swollen river hours after they got trapped in the river when the water was released from a nearby dam, officials said.
The men were engaged in work at Rampur Ghat in Paonta area when the water level of the river rose alarmingly following release of water from Jataun Dam allegedly without any warning from the administration, locals claimed.
"The water level rose so fast that the workers had no time to come out from the river bed," one of the locals said.
When alerted about the situation, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Paonta Sahib, Promod Chauhan rushed to the spot along with policemen and local divers and carried out rescue operation.
"Local volunteers and divers rescued the trapped migrant workers by showing exemplary courage," DSP Chauhan said.
The rescued workers included a 14-year-old girl, Suman, Lalla, Latesh and Mahender while the fifth person was yet to be identified, he said.
Locals have demanded an enquiry as to how the water was released from Jataun Dam "without any prior information or warming".
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