Kota (Rajasthan) [India], October 20 (ANI): A rescue operation is underway along the Kotri canal in Kota after a boat carrying seven individuals capsized during the immersion of goddess Durga idols, police said. Three occupants who knew how to swim managed to get out, while four others remain missing.
Emergency response teams, including professional divers, have been deployed to scour the waterway.
Providing details on the accident and ongoing search efforts, Superintendent of Police Tejaswani Gautam stated that rescue teams are working round the clock to trace the missing persons.
"We received information that some people had arrived at Canal Road for the immersion of Durga idols when their boat—carrying 7 individuals capsized. Three of them knew how to swim and managed to get out, but the other four did not... Our teams are making continuous efforts to locate them. We have obtained the names of some of the individuals who were on the boat,” Tejaswani Gautam told reporters.
Following the incident, the district administration reiterated safety protocols, noting that authorised immersion zones are fully equipped with rescue boats and professional divers to prevent such mishaps.
SP Gautam said, “A rescue operation is currently in progress; our top priority is to ensure the safe recovery of the four missing persons. The administration has designated specific sites for immersion, where boats, divers, and rescue teams are stationed. It is not feasible to provide such arrangements at every point along the entire canal. The administration urges everyone to conduct immersions only at these designated locations."
In a separate incident earlier this week, a person died in a road accident in the Sendariya Kat area under Adarsh Nagar police station limits in Ajmer, Rajasthan. The deceased has reportedly been identified as Meva Meva Rawat.
Following the accident, local villagers blocked the road, raising concerns about road safety measures, including speed breakers and dividers. Police personnel reached the spot promptly and intervened to bring the situation under control.
Providing details about the incident, Manish Badgujar, DSP, South Ajmer, said that the police received information about an accident in the Adarsh Nagar police station area and immediately dispatched a team to the location.
“This is the Thana Adarsh Nagar area, and this is Sendariya Kat. We received information about an accident, and our team immediately reached Adarsh Nagar here,” DSP Manish Badgujar said.
Confirming the fatality, the officer stated that one person had lost his life in the accident. The body was subsequently sent to the mortuary for further procedures.
“One person died in the accident, reportedly named Meva Meva Rawat. The body has been sent to the mortuary,” Badgujar said. (ANI)
Rajasthan: Four missing as boat capsizes in Kota canal during Durga idol immersion
