7 members of family die after SUV swept away in swollen rivulet in Punjab

Hoshiarpur: Seven members of a family died and three others went missing after their vehicle got swept away by the flooded Jaijon Choe, a seasonal rivulet around 34 km from here on Sunday, police said.

The rivulet was swollen due to heavy rainfall that lashed several parts of Punjab and other areas.

Ten members of a family, along with a driver, were travelling in the SUV from Dehra near Mehatpur in Himachal Pradesh to Mehrowal village in SBS Nagar to attend a wedding, police officials said.

On the way to Mehrowal, the vehicle got swept away by the swollen waters of the rivulet, they said, adding several locals managed to rescue one occupant from the vehicle and took him to the Government Dispensary in Jaijon.Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagir Singh said seven bodies, including those of two women, have been recovered from the rivulet.

Efforts are on to trace the three missing persons, he added.