Tractor carrying Durga idols for immersion plunges into lake in Khandwa; 11 devotees dead

Indore/Khandwa, October 2 (PTI) Eleven devotees, including seven girls, drowned when a tractor trolley carrying Durga idols for immersion plunged in a lake in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district during Vijayadashami on Thursday, officials said.

MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident on social media platform X and announced ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of those killed.

Khandwa District Magistrate Rishav Gupta told PTI the incident occurred in the Pandhana area when the tractor trolley carrying the idols and devotees tilted and fell into the pond.

"Bodies of 11 devotees have been recovered from the lake. Villagers at the spot had warned the devotees about the depth of the lake but out of over-enthusiasm, they moved the tractor trolley further into the water, causing the vehicle to overturn and sink. The rescue operation was conducted with the help of police, administration, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Home Guards and local divers," Gupta said.

"Seven of the deceased are girls. After the incident, 10 to 12 devotees were rescued from the lake. Three of them are undergoing treatment for injuries," Khandwa Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Rai said.

Pandhana Sub-Divisional Magistrate Deeksha Bhagore identified the deceased as Aarti (18), Urmila (16), Sharmila (15), Kiran (16), Patli (25), Sangeeta (16), Chanda (8), Dinesh (13), Ganesh (20), Revsingh (13) and Ayush (9).

Officials said around 30 devotees were travelling in the trolley at the time of the mishap. Eyewitnesses said there was chaos at the site as the vehicle plunged into the pond and panicked people frantically searched for their relatives.

They said a large crowd of villagers gathered at the spot and many of them joined the rescue efforts. PTI COR HWP LAL KRK RSY BNM