7 youths drown while trying to make reels in rain-ravaged Rajasthan

Jaipur: Seven youths, all hailing from the same village in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district, drowned on Sunday after they went to swim in an overflowing river and started making reels.  

The tragic incident occurred in Srinagar village. The Banganga river, already swollen due to continuous rains in the past few days, seemed to have caught the youths unaware. Of the eight who went for the swim, only one was able to save himself. 

The desert state has been receiving heavy rainfall in the last few days leading to inundation of low-lying areas and overflowing of rivers. 

In another drowning incident on the same day, five youths were swept away in the overflowing Kanota dam in Jaipur. District police chief Mukesh Choudhary said at least six youths went to swim in the dam and they were swept away by strong currents. Only one of them could return to the shore safely. NDRF and civil defence teams were searching for the others.   

On Saturday too, the state had witnessed incidents of drowning. In Jhunjhunu district’s Mehrana village, three youths lost their lives when they went for a swim in an overflowing pond on Saturday.

In another rain-related incident on the same day, a father and son were killed after their house collapsed due to continuous rains in Karauli district. Three other members of the family who got trapped in the debris were rescued.

Another youth in the district drowned in a pond on Saturday. Karauli has been witnessing heavy rains for the past few days and is facing a flood-like situation.

In Jodhpur’s Osian region, an under-construction dam in Bhikmakor village collapsed, and one tractor and trolley got swept away in a sudden rush of water. The Jodhpur region has also been witnessing heavy rains over the past few days. 

Meanwhile, Jaipur has been witnessing continuous rains since Saturday, with many main thoroughfares of the city becoming waterlogged and causing traffic snarls.

Jaipur district has received 501.7 mm rainfall this season, which is over 50% compared to previous years.

The administration has declared a holiday for schools in several districts of Rajasthan.

The weather office in Jaipur has sounded an orange alert in Jaipur, Bharatpur, Karauli, Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh, Tonk, Bikaner, Jhunjhunu and Dausa with warning of water logging in low-lying areas.