2 cops still missing 40 hours after car falls into river in MP; search on

Ujjain, Sep 8 (PTI) Rescue agencies were making frantic efforts to trace two police personnel missing for more than 40 hours after their car plunged into the swollen Kshipra river in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district, officials said on Monday.

The car carrying three police personnel fell into the river from a bridge around 9 pm on Saturday, they said, adding the strong water current was making the search operation difficult.

The body of Unhel police station house officer Ashok Sharma (58) was retrieved on Sunday morning, while sub-inspector Madan Lal (57) and constable Aarti Pal (aged around 30) remained untraceable, Jiawaji Ganj City Superintendent of Police Pushpa Prajapati told PTI.

More than 50 rescuers, including 25 from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) staffers and around 10 local divers, were searching for the two missing personnel, Prajapati said.

Row and mechanised boats and two drones were also deployed, the official said.

"These local divers, who can fetch coins thrown into the river by visitors with the twinkling of an eye, are also unable to trace our two colleagues," she said.

The dam downstream was closed to reduce the water flow, but the strong current was hampering the search operation, the official added.

Pal was driving the car when it fell off the bridge without a railing, as per eyewitnesses.

The three personnel from Unhel police station, located 50 km from the district headquarters, were heading to investigate a missing person's case when the accident took place, according to officials. PTI LAL GK