Bhopal, Aug 10 (PTI) Several districts in Madhya Pradesh were battered by heavy rains on Monday, sending rivers into spate and necessitating rescue of 98 people by the state disaster emergency response force and Home Guards from waterlogged areas, officials said.
In a rain-related incident, nine people, including a girl, were killed after a van carrying 11 passengers was swept away while crossing a swollen nullah (drain) in Rajgarh district on Monday, police said.
The State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) Headquarters in Bhopal is continuously monitoring the situation in all sensitive and flooded districts.
Quick Response Teams (QRT), disaster relief vehicles, boats and modern equipment are kept ready at all district headquarters to tackle
any emergency, officials said.
Director General of Home Guards, Civil Defence and Disaster Management Pragya Richa Srivastava said emergency reports of waterlogging and civilians trapped in floods were received from several districts on Monday.
Responding promptly, regional teams launched rescue operations at various locations, leading to the rescue of 98 civilians, seven cattle, and four domestic animals, she said.
A serious disaster situation arose due to the sudden rise in the water level of a drain in Jamni village in Sehore district, where a 23-year-old pregnant woman, Geeta Rajput, and three other family members were trapped in their home due to a swollen drain, Srivastava said.
She said a team of SDERF and Home Guards immediately arrived at the scene and, using a rubber boat, carefully rescued the pregnant woman and three family members, and transported them to an ambulance.
In the Ahmedpur police station area of Sehore, around 60 km from the headquarters, four citizens trapped in the flooded area were safely rescued by the SDERF team.
In Balampur village under the Sukhi Sewania police station in Bhopal, floodwaters rapidly entered the residential area due to a breach in the dam wall.
A team of SDERF personnel rushed to the spot and evacuated 19 citizens and four pets trapped in the rising water, the official said.
In a similar incident, a Quick Response Team (QRT) rescued four people from a flooded drain in the Sukhi Sewania area and shifted them to safety, the Director General said.
Fifteen labourers, including two women and six children, who were trapped in a severe flood in Bamankheda village under the Kararia police station of Vidisha district, were rescued by a joint team of SDERF and Home Guards and moved to a safe location.
In Patharia village, also in Vidisha, four people trapped in flooded water, along with seven cattle, were successfully relocated to safety by the rescue team, Srivastava added.
Separately, three devotees were swept away by the strong current of the river while bathing at Abhaypuri Ghat in Omkareshwar.
Brave jawans of SDERF, Tejpal and Bal Bahadur, displayed immense courage by jumping into the raging river wearing life jackets and saved the lives of three devotees.
In Badaheri village under the Khilchipur police station in Rajgarh district, the SDERF/HG team safely rescued 15 people who had taken shelter on the roof of a temple due to flooding.
Similarly, upon receiving information about extensive waterlogging in the Soyat police station area of Agar Malwa district, the SDERF, Home Guards, and Disaster Relief Team (DRC) responded and evacuated approximately 30 to 40 citizens to safety, where relief and rescue operations are ongoing. PTI MAS NSK
