Rescue Op Underway as Vehicle With 55 Tamil Nadu Pilgrims Gets Stranded on Flooded Causeway in Guj

Bhavnagar: A rescue operation was launched on Thursday evening after 55 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu got stranded on a flooded causeway over a river in Gujarat 's Bhavnagar district.

The pilgrims, who were in a luxury bus, were transferred safely to a truck by rescuers but this vehicle also got stranded on the flooded causeway, Bhavnagar disaster management division deputy Mamlatdar Satish Jambucha said.

"The incident took place when the bus with 55 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu was trying to cross a flood causeway on a rivulet near Koliyak village in Bhavnagar taluka. The pilgrims were headed towards Bhavnagar city after visiting Nishkalank Mahadev temple near the village," Jambucha said.

"The causeway got flooded after heavy rains in the region. After the bus got stranded, a rescue operation was launched. The rescuers reached the site in a truck and transferred the pilgrims to the vehicle through the window of the bus. But the truck also got stranded," he said.

The situation is, however, under control and all the pilgrims are safe inside the truck, he added.

"We are waiting for the water to recede to get the truck to safety. Police and senior officials have reached the spot to supervise the operation," he said.

(with PTI inputs)