In a daring overnight operation, 29 people were rescued from a bus stranded on the flooded causeway in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district. The list included 27 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Officials confirmed the rescue on Friday.
On Thursday evening, the bus was stuck on the bridge over the streambed near Koliyak village. District Collector RK Mehta, who oversaw the operation, said it took almost eight hours to rescue people.
“The pilgrims were returning to Bhavnagar city after visiting the Nishkalank Mahadev temple. Heavy rain had inundated the causeway, yet the bus driver tried to cross the river.”
While the water level rose, the front of the bus submerged, whereas the rear remained wedged on the causeway. Rescuers came to the scene in a mini-truck and pulled all 27 pilgrims, along with the driver and cleaner, from the vehicle’s rear window.
However, things got a little complicated since the mini-truck also became stuck on the causeway, while most of the people to be rescued were senior citizens. “We then sent a bigger truck to ferry the 29 people across,” Mehta said. Almost eight hours of work later, by about 3 am, everybody was on dry land.
Accommodation and meals were provided to the rescued pilgrims in Bhavnagar, where they were brought, apart from conducting medical tests.
