3 killed as car swept away by strong current in Jodhpur

Jodhpur: Three people, including a woman, were killed when their car was swept away by strong current off a bridge into a drain here Saturday afternoon on the Jodhpur–Osian road near Daijar. The current was so strong that the occupants did not even get a chance to escape.

There were four people in the car, of which two drowned, while one person was swept away. His body was later found stuck in shrubs some distance away. One person was rescued by the police and SDRF team.

The deceased were identified as plywood businessman Hari Prakash Bhandari (58), Urmila Devi Lahoti (72), and her husband Sampat Lahoti (76). Local villagers managed to rescue Suraj Mandhana (70), while Sampat Lahoti was swept away by the strong current and was later found dead stuck in some shrubs.

According to sources, Bhandari was going with his relatives to visit the Radha Rani temple in theDaijar area. He was accompanied by his son's grandfather-in-law Sampat Lahoti, his wife Urmila Devi Lahoti, and Suraj Mandhana. The Lahoti couple had come to Jodhpur from Surat to celebrate their grandson's birthday.

The driver was unable to gauge the road due to accumulated water on the Atiya Nala bridge. The moment he attempted to drive through, the car slipped off the bridge and fell into water about five feet deep.

Police said that the locals tried to stop the car from venturing into the water, but Bhandari and his relatives ignored the warning.