Abohar/Sriganganagar, Aug 2

Four members of a family drowned while one was missing after the Jeep they were travelling in fell into the Indira Gandhi Canal near 50RD bridge at Ranjeetpura village in Hanumangarh, near Abohar, yesterday.

Harish Jakhar (40), his wife Suman (38), daughter Meenakshi (14), son Manish (7) and sister-in-law Manju (36) were there in the vehicle, police said. The bodies of Suman, Manju and Meenakshi were recovered from the canal by a State Disaster Management and Relief Department (SDRF) team that was assisted by 10 divers from two nearby villages. The ill-fated vehicle was also retrieved from the canal.

Investigating official SI Puran Ram said search for others was discontinued at night and was resumed today. Divers spotted Harish’s body floating as the water level dipped today afternoon. The bodies were handed over to the family after a post-mortem. Many villagers were camping around the canal as divers continued to search for Manish. The victims belonged to Bhuranpura village. — OC