Eight killed as car swept into swollen drain in Madhya Pradesh's Agar Malwa

Eight people, among them three children and two women, died after the car they were travelling in was swept away by a swollen drain in Madhya Pradesh's Agar Malwa district on Saturday, police said. The victims were on their way to the Bagalmukhi temple in Nalkheda town.

The accident occurred in the early hours of Saturday after heavy rain through the night in Nalkheda. According to Agar Malwa Superintendent of Police Dilip Soni, seven of those who died belonged to a family from Odisha, while the driver was a resident of the Badod tehsil area. The car was barely 50 metres from the temple when it was caught in the current.

"There is a culvert near the temple, and the drain under it had been overflowing due to heavy rain. The driver tried to cross it to reach the temple but may have misjudged the situation, after which the car lost control and got swept away due to strong currents," Mr. Soni said. The family had arrived in Nalkheda after visiting the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain.

Local residents informed the police about a submerged car at around 9:30 a.m., following which the bodies were recovered. Post-mortem examinations have been conducted on all the bodies, and the remains of the victims from Odisha have been sent to Bhubaneswar. Inquest proceedings have begun.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and said the State government had directed officials to stay in constant touch with the Madhya Pradesh government and the local administration. "All necessary steps are being taken... to bring the mortal remains back to Odisha with due respect. In this hour of grief, the State government stands firmly by the side of the bereaved families," he said.

In Bhubaneswar, grief descended on the household of Banamali Behera, who lost his son, two daughters, a son-in-law and three grandchildren in the accident. The family, originally from the Gadakana area of the city, ran a roadside eatery at Jayadev Vihar Square. They had set out on September 16 and were preparing for two celebrations — a wedding in the family and a move into a new house. Mr. Behera's daughter Radharani Behera, 30, one of the victims, was to have her ring ceremony on September 27 after the family returned from the trip.

Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also expressed grief in a post on X. "I am deeply saddened to learn about the heartbreaking accident in Madhya Pradesh in which seven Odia devotees lost their lives. On this sorrowful occasion, I convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and pray for the eternal peace of the departed souls," he wrote.