Manimajra, July 12: A tragic fishing outing ended in disaster under the Bhankharpur bridge near Mubarikpur when two residents of Indira Colony in Manimajra were swept away by the fast-flowing currents of the Ghaggar river. While one body was pulled from the waters on Sunday morning, an intensive search operation remains underway to locate the second missing individual. A third friend miraculously managed to pull himself to safety during the incident.
The victims, identified as 45-year-old Darshan and 45-year-old Surinder, had traveled to the riverbank on Friday afternoon alongside their friend Chanda. According to local witnesses, the group arrived in an auto-rickshaw to fish. The situation turned critical when Darshan suddenly lost his footing on the slick bank and was pulled into the deep, rapid current. Surinder immediately plunged into the fast-moving water in a desperate bid to rescue his drowning friend but was quickly overpowered by the strong current.
Chanda, the sole survivor, managed to survive by grabbing onto thick bushes and wild plants growing along the riverbank, using them to haul himself out of the water. Emergency responders and National Disaster Response Force teams were dispatched immediately following the accident. While recovery teams successfully retrieved Darshan’s body from the river on Sunday morning, specialized divers are being deployed to trace Surinder.
The tragedy has left the tight-knit community of Indira Colony in deep mourning as relatives gather at the riverbank awaiting news. The missing resident, Surinder, is survived by his grieving wife and three young sons.
“All three of them had left home at around 2:30 in the afternoon,” the distraught wife of the missing man stated while weeping at the scene. “Later, Chanda came home and informed us about the accident, after which we reached the spot with the family members and the president of the colony.”
Local police officials confirmed that the rescue mission has been active for over 48 hours.
“As soon as the information about the accident was received, a joint search operation has been underway by the police and NDRF teams for the last two days,” Mubarikpur Police Post In-charge Kulwant Singh affirmed. “Darshan’s body was pulled out of the water on Sunday morning, while divers are being sought to search for Surinder.”
