Canal accident: Bodies of all five missing persons recovered in Chhattisgarh's Korba

Korba: Bodies of five persons, including two children, who went missing after a mini goods vehicle plunged into a canal in Chhattisgarh's Korba district have been recovered, police said on Tuesday.

The accident occurred between Mukundpur and Madwarani villages under the Urga police station limits on Sunday afternoon, an official said.

He said a mini goods vehicle with around 25 people onboard was heading to Kharhari village in the district when the the driver lost control of the wheel, causing it to plunge into Nagarda canal.

The official said the victims hailed from Sakti district and were on their way to attend a family function.

Three women and two children went missing, while others managed to swim to safety, he said.

The official said the search team initially encountered strong currents in the canal. The water flow was stopped upstream, and the efforts continued for 48 hours.

"The body of one of the missing women was recovered on Sunday evening, while three more were fished out on Monday. Another body was found on Tuesday afternoon," he said.

The deceased were identified as Itwari Bai Kanwar (60), Manmati Kanwar (70), Jaanbai Kanwar (70), Tanya Sahu (7) and Naman Kanwar (2), he said.

The official said the vehicle belonged to Shridhar Chouhan, sarpanch of Reda village panchayat in Sakti district, and efforts are underway to trace the driver, Prahlad Das Mahant, who fled the scene following the accident.

He said a case has been registered, and further probe is underway.