Two killed after SUV falls in river from damaged bridge
The vehicle reached the bridge where the railing was broken in parts and the driver lost control while trying to avoid a truck coming from the opposite direction, following which the car plunged into the river below, said Dewas ASP Harinarayan Batham.
Hundreds of villagers rushed to the spot and started a rescue operation immediately. They pulled the car to the bank using ropes and then broke open the windows to rescue the occupants.
It took much time to rescue the ones seated in the front. While the two passengers seated at the back were rescued by locals who broke open the car's windows, the two sitting in the front — who had their seatbelts on — died in the accident.
Batham said locals helped rescue all four occupants from the submerged car and rushed them to the govt hospital in Bagli, where doctors declared two of them — Gopi Icani (40), a resident of Amritsar, and Anand Sigyaram (40), a resident of Indore — dead.
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The two injured identified as Elaiyaraja (40), a native of Jaipur and Uchatevan Armuban (44), a resident of Chandigarh, were referred to Indore for further treatment, the official said.
"The car doors got jammed after it fell into the river, delaying the rescue efforts. Locals had to break the windows to pull out the occupants," the ASP said.
Locals said this was the fourth accident at the same spot in the last two months. Despite repeated complaints, no repairs have been made to the bridge, which lacks protective railing or signage. Residents said they have been demanding a safer alternative or urgent upgrades, but the administration has failed to act. In all the previous accidents, too, rescue operations were carried out by villagers.
Police said the bodies of the deceased have been sent for postmortem examination and their families have been informed.
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