Eight of a family from Himachal die after SUV swept away in swollen rivulet in Punjab

HOSHIARPUR: Nine people, including eight members of a family, died and two others went missing after their vehicle got swept away by the flooded Jaijon Choe, a seasonal rivulet around 34 km from here on Sunday, police said.The rivulet was swollen due to heavy rainfall that lashed several parts of Punjab and other areas.Eleven members of a family, along with a driver, were travelling in the SUV from Dehra near Mehatpur in Una district of Himachal Pradesh to Mehrowal village in Punjab’s SBS Nagar district to attend a wedding, police officials said.As they were crossing the Jaijon Choe, which was in spate due to heavy rain, their vehicle got swept away, the police said.Some locals had even warned the driver not to cross the choe because of strong water current in the rivulet but he ignored it and moved ahead, said police.However, several locals managed to rescue one occupant — Deepak Bhatia — and took him to the Government Dispensary in Jaijon.A video of the incident showed that the vehicle was stuck in the flooded choe.



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