Daijiworld Media Network - Chaibasa

Chaibasa (Jharkhand), Aug 31: Three villagers were swept away after the water level of the Kuili hill river rose suddenly amid incessant rainfall in the Saranda region of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, officials said on Monday.

While the bodies of two victims have been recovered, a woman remains missing and search operations are underway. The incident occurred in Bahda village under the Chotanagra police station limits.

According to officials, the three villagers were returning home after attending a funeral in the village at around 6 pm on Sunday when the river suddenly swelled due to continuous rainfall in the area. The strong current swept all three away.

After being informed about the incident, local residents launched a search operation in the river. Late on Sunday night, the body of a woman was found trapped in bushes around 500 metres downstream from the accident site. She was identified as the mother of villager Roya Sidhu.

Subsequently, a police team led by Chotanagra Police Station in-charge Gautam Kumar reached the spot and joined the villagers in the rescue operation. During a joint search on Monday morning, the body of Bosen Sidhu was also recovered from the river.

Police said the missing woman has been identified as Sunita Sidhu, wife of Bamiya Sidhu. Efforts to trace her are continuing, with search teams combing the riverbanks, nearby bushes and areas along the possible course of the river’s flow.

Officials said persistent rainfall has kept the river in spate, making rescue operations difficult because of the strong current. Police are also searching downstream areas where the missing woman may have been carried by the force of the water.

The tragedy has left Roya Sidhu bereaved after losing both parents in the incident. A pall of gloom has descended over Bahda village following the accident.