11 swept away while bathing in waterfall in MP’s Shivpuri, 45 rescued

At least 11 people were swept away while 45 have been rescued from Sultangarh Waterfall in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, news agency ANI reported. However, no bodies have been found yet and it could not be ascertained whether the missing persons have drowned, police officials told PTI.

The people went missing after water level increased due to a sudden release of water from a dam.

“We have rescued 40 people and five people were rescued earlier by a helicopter. All these 45 people are safe now,” Superintendent of Police Rajesh Hingankar said.

Eyewitnesses had earlier claimed that more than ten persons who were bathing in the waterfall were swept away. A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is involved in the rescue along with the state police.

The waterfall is near Mohana village, 55 km from the district headquarters, in an area bordering Gwalior district. Tourists had thronged the place today due to the Independence Day holiday.

There was a sudden surge in water around 4.30 pm, possibly due to heavy rain upstream, catching those bathing in the waterfall unawares, police said quoting the locals.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in a tweet this evening that he was in constant touch with the officials engaged in the rescue operations.

Union minister and Gwalior MP Narendra Singh Tomar reached the spot after learning the news. He is camping at the spot and supervising rescue efforts, officials said late Wednesday evening.

Senior officials, including Gwalior range Inspector General of Police Anshuman S Yadav and Shivpuri collector Shilpa Gupta were also at the site.

Congress sources said that its senior leader and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia spoke to senior officials over phone about the rescue operations.

Both Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took to their respective Twitter handles and assured Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to provide all the necessary assistance to rescue stranded people.

“Spoke to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri @ChouhanShivraj regarding the situation in Shivpuri district. NDRF has already been pressed into service to save those who are stranded. The efforts are on to save everyone. I have assured him of all possible assistance from the Centre,” Singh tweeted.

First Published: Aug 16, 2018 07:10 IST