LUCKNOW: The bodies of all three men who drowned in the Sai river near Jabraila bridge in Mohanlalganj during Ganesh idol immersion on Tuesday evening were recovered by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) on Wednesday.The deceased were identified as Dheeraj, 35, Hariprasad, 40, and Pramod, 22. Their bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.The tragedy occurred when residents of Sisendi village, around five kilometres from the spot, went to the Sai river around 5pm on Tuesday to immerse a Ganesh idol.According to the sequence of events, Dheeraj entered the deeper part of the river and began drowning. Seeing him in trouble, Hariprasad entered the water in an attempt to rescue him but also got into difficulty.Pramod subsequently entered the river, following which all three disappeared in the strong current.
Search continued through the night
After receiving information about the incident, police and local divers reached the spot and began searching for the missing men. An SDRF team was subsequently deployed with a boat and specialised rescue equipment.Despite darkness, the search continued through the night with the help of floodlights. Two SDRF teams remained engaged in the operation, extending the search along the direction of the river’s current.On Wednesday morning, SDRF personnel first recovered the bodies of Dheeraj and Hariprasad.The search for Pramod continued over an approximately three-kilometre stretch of the river. At around 11.45am, SDRF personnel recovered his body as well.The rescue operation involved SDRF personnel as well as six local divers.The SDRF team, led by sub-inspector Ritesh Sachan and comprising around 20 constables, reached the spot roughly 40 minutes after receiving information about the drowning.The rescuers used a boat, hooks, life jackets and other flood-rescue equipment while searching the river. Police personnel remained deployed at the site throughout the operation.Additional district magistrate (FR), SDM Akash Singh and ACP RK Singh also reached the spot and monitored the rescue efforts.
Families waited through the night
The incident left the families of the three victims devastated. Relatives remained at the riverbank throughout the night, waiting for news about their loved ones.Family members had earlier expressed concern over the pace of the search operation and alleged that the rescue teams were searching in a limited area. Relatives also questioned why a wider search using nets had not been conducted earlier.Police officials attempted to reassure the families, telling them that the SDRF team was searching in the direction of the river’s current and that experienced rescuers were working continuously at the site.
2 victims’ wives were pregnant
The tragedy left the families in particularly difficult circumstances as the wives of Dheeraj and Hariprasad were pregnant.Dheeraj had married Anita around two years ago and she was around three months pregnant, according to the family. His mother, Deepa, is also among the family members left behind.Hariprasad’s wife Shyamawati is also pregnant. The couple has a 12-year-old son, Nihal, and a 10-year-old daughter, Niharika.Pramod, a resident of Hira Kheda, was also from the Sisendi area. The three men were engaged in daily-wage labour and supported their respective families through their earnings.The recovery of all three bodies brought the overnight search operation to an end, but left the families mourning the loss of their loved ones.
