Gujarat: Eight drown in Meshwo river in Gandhinagar

Ahmedabad: Eight persons drowned while bathing in the Meshwo river in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district on Friday evening, an official said.

The deceased were residents of Vasna Sogthi village in Dehgam taluka, said Sub Divisional Magistrate B B Modiya, adding the incident took place near the village. Modiya, who supervised the search and rescue operation, said a group of villagers who had gone to the river to immerse Ganesh idols learnt about the drowning incident, and alerted authorities.

“After getting a message, police and fire brigade personnel rushed to the site. We have recovered eight bodies from the river. One person who was assumed to be missing was later found safe in the village. So the rescue operation, which continued till late evening, was called off,” he said.

The deceased were locals, but they probably misjudged the river’s depth at the spot since its water level had risen recently due to an under-construction check dam a little distance away, the official said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah condoled the deaths.

He was deeply saddened by the deaths and the calamity that had befallen the bereaved families, wrote Shah, MP from Gandhinagar, in a message on X. agencies