11 Devotees Killed as Overcrowded Bolero Plunges into Canal in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda District
Gonda, August 3 (TNA) A tragic accident on Sunday morning claimed the lives of 11 devotees when an overloaded Bolero SUV lost control and overturned into a canal near Rehra village on the Parasarai-Alawal Deoria road in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district. The group was travelling to the Prithvinath Temple for a religious visit.
The incident occurred near the Sarayu canal bridge, under the jurisdiction of the Motiganj police station, when the vehicle veered off the road and plunged into the water. According to reports, 15 to 16 people were crammed into the Bolero at the time of the mishap, all of them residents of Sihagao village.
Station House Officer (SHO) of Itiyathok, K.G. Rao, confirmed that 11 bodies have been recovered from the canal so far. Four individuals were rescued safely, while one person is believed to be missing. A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team is actively searching the canal for the last possible victim.
The deceased have been identified as Beena, Kajal, Mehak, Durgesh, Nandini, Ankit, Shubh, Sanju Verma, Anju, Ansuya, and Soumya.
Those rescued include Seetasaran (driver), Ramlakhan, Pinki Kasodhan, and Abhishek. One surviving child informed authorities that 16 people were inside the vehicle, sparking intensified search operations.
Senior officials, including Divisional Commissioner Shashi Bhushan Lal Sushil, Inspector General Amit Pathak, and Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal, reached the accident site and are overseeing the rescue and investigation.
Meanwhile, Acting District Magistrate Ankita Jain visited Babu Ishwar Sharan Hospital (affiliated with the medical college) to review medical arrangements for the injured.