Chaibasa- Tragedy struck Bahda village in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district after three villagers were swept away by the strong current of the Kuili hill river amid incessant rainfall in the Saranda region, officials said on Monday.
Two bodies have since been recovered, while a woman remains missing. Rescue and search operations are continuing.
The incident took place on Sunday evening under the Chotanagra police station area. According to officials, the three villagers were returning home around 6 p.m. after attending a funeral in the village when the river suddenly swelled following continuous rain.
The rising water and strong current caught the villagers off guard and swept all three into the river.
As soon as news of the incident spread, local residents began searching along the river. Late on Sunday night, villagers found the body of a woman caught in bushes around 500 metres downstream from the spot where the three were swept away. She was identified as the mother of villager Roya Sidhu.
A police team led by Chotanagra police station in-charge Gautam Kumar subsequently reached the site and joined the villagers in the search operation.
On Monday morning, a joint search by police and local residents led to the recovery of the body of another victim, identified as Bosen Sidhu.
Police said the third victim, Sunita Sidhu, wife of Bamiya Sidhu, is still missing. Search teams are scanning the riverbanks, bushes and downstream areas, including places where the force of the current could have carried her.
Officials said the continuing rainfall has kept the river swollen, making the search particularly challenging. Strong currents and difficult terrain are slowing down rescue efforts, with teams also checking areas further downstream.
The incident has left the Sidhu family devastated. Roya Sidhu has lost both parents in the tragedy, while grief has cast a shadow over Bahda village.
The incident also highlights the dangers posed by rapidly rising streams and rivers in forested and hilly parts of Jharkhand during periods of persistent monsoon rainfall, when water levels can change suddenly and make seemingly routine crossings hazardous.
With inputs from IANS