Tragedy at Durga Puja immersion in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal when flash flood sweeps away at least 8 persons

The tragedy occurred along the banks of River Mal in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. It is usual for devotees to gather at the venue of immersion to bid farewell to Goddess Durga and her retinue. They are Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Lord Ganesh, the children of Durga. Normally, such rituals rarely get prominence in the media but this was different. There was flash flood and the flow of water swept away some of the people and left a group of about 30-40 persons stranded in the middle of a river. The district administration rescued them and indicated that the deceased persons included an eight-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl while the other six included three women. In addition, fifteen injured people required hospitalization. 2 children among 8 drowned in flash floods during Durga Puja immersion at Jalpaiguri in Bengal. The District Magistrate mentioned that there was no local prediction of rainfall. However, suddenly the water in the river rose, probably due to rainfall in higher areas like Sikkim.

The district administration suspended immersion at the spot where flash floods occurred and undertook rescue operations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident. His office took to the social media to send condolences to those who lost their loved ones. A local political leader said - “Thousands had gathered on the banks of the river and suddenly the water rose. People had no time to rush to higher ground. Many were swept away.” Even though there has been little rain in the area for the last few days, there were reports of heavy downpour in the higher reaches and in the Bhutan hills. Incidentally, the Mal River originates in the hills, and the water accumulated in the higher reaches owing to the heavy rain there caused the flash flood. This river merges with the Teesta River in the region.

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