Vidisha Woman Swept Away By Swollen River Rescued After 8 Hours Of Efforts

A 35-year-old woman who was swept away while crossing a swollen river in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district was found clinging to a log of wood 16 km away and rescued after more than eight hours of efforts on Friday, an official said.

The incident took place in Betwa river in Vidisha around 8 pm on Thursday, he said.

Sonam Dangi was travelling with her brother on a motorcycle to her parent's place in Padaria to celebrate Raksha Bandhan and when they got swept away in the swollen Betwa river through Barrighat bridge, additional chief secretary (ACS) home Dr Rajesh Rajora Friday said.

While Sonam Dangi's brother was immediately rescued, she was found stuck in an under-construction pillar of a bridge around 11 pm and a rescue team was deployed to save her, but couldn't due to strong currents, he said.

The team of five divers finally reached the woman in their fifth attempt around 4:30 am and gave her a life-jacket and pulled her in the boat, he said.

As the boat started moving towards the bank, it overturned due to strong currents. While the divers somehow swam to safety, the woman was again swept away, Rajesh Rajora said.

However, Sonam Dangi found a large log to hold on to and stayed afloat about 16 km away from the original spot, he said.

The authorities had alerted villages downstream, and people in Rajkheda village spotted her and rescue her to safety with the help of a tube, the ACS said.

The woman suffered from hypothermia and is undergoing treatment at a hospital, where her condition is said to be stable, the ACS added.

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