Rajasthan 'deluge': Man swept away in Sawai Madhopur, boat capsize leads to several missing; schools shut

Jaipur, Aug 22 (PTI) A 20-year-old man died after his car was swept away in a spate of water in the Swai Madhopur district, which witnessed heavy rain on Friday.

Monty Tanwar from Indore drowned in the strong water flow on National Highway 552 at Kushalidarra.

"Monty was travelling to Indore after leaving his family in Niwai when the mishap occurred. Search operation for others is on," DSP Rural Pintu Kumar said.

Torrential rain since last night has thrown life out of gear in Sawai Madhopur, causing a flood-like situation.

Several residential colonies have submerged, traffic is disrupted, and all railway services have been suspended in the district.

Tourist safaris in the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve have been cancelled, a forest official said.

At Surwal Dam, a boat carrying eight to ten people sank.

Villagers managed to rescue three people, while a search is underway for others.

"Rescue teams are continuing the operation, and efforts are being made to trace the missing persons," Deputy Superintendent of Police, City, Uday Singh said.

On Thursday night, a man drowned in Ajmer while bathing at a dam. He was celebrating his birthday along with his friends.

In Jaipur's Chaksu area, a couple riding a motorcycle was swept away in a swollen Dhundh River. Locals managed to rescue the husband, but the wife drowned, police said.

In Kota, people swam in the water collected on roads on Friday. Many villages of Bundi have lost contact with the district headquarters.

Schools have been shut in Baran, Jhalawar, Kota, and Bundi till Saturday.

The army has taken charge of the flood-affected area of Digod in Kota rural.

Collector Piyush Samaria and Energy Minister Hiralal Nagar ventured out to take stock of the situation.

Earlier, Deepak, a class 12 student from Raghunathpura, drowned at Govta Dam in Bhilwara. The 17-year-old had gone for a walk with his friends and got into the water at the dam for a bath.

In Sawai Madhopur town, people climbed on their roofs to save themselves from inundation.

Railway tracks at Sawai Madhopur Station were submerged in water, leading to the halting of three trains – the Sriganganagar-Kota Express at Devpura, the Jaipur-Bayana train at Chauth Ka Barwara, and the Bhagat Ki Kothi-Indore Express at Vanasthali Niwai station.

The Jaipur-Mumbai and the Ajmer-Jabalpur trains were rescheduled.

Earlier in the day, three gates of the Kota Barrage were opened to release water, officials said.

The Meteorological Department said Sawai Madhopur on Friday received 254 mm of rain in 24 hours – the highest in the state.

Bhilwara's Bijolia tehsil recorded 170 mm, sending the Panchanpura Dam to overflow and the Eru River in spate.

According to officials, the district continues to remain on high alert as more rain is forecast in parts of eastern Rajasthan.

The MeT issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in Kota and Bundi districts for Friday, and in Chittorgarh and Bhilwara for Saturday. The department has issued an orange alert for at least nine districts for the weekend. PTI AG VN VN