Gondal floods

Three members of a family lost their lives after their car got stuck in the swollen Kolpari River in Rajkot’s Gondal taluka in the wee hours of August 28.

The tragic event unfolded when the vehicle with the husband, wife, and their young son, was swept away while crossing a bridge over the swollen river.

The body of the child was found today, 48 hours after the incident.

Sources said, “The Radiya family, hailing from Babra taluka, was en route to visit relatives in Big Khilori village when the vehicle became trapped in the powerful current, leaving the family stranded and helpless.

“Despite immediate efforts to locate them, the husband and wife, identified as Jayaraj Radiya (40) and Sonal Radiya (39), were found dead approximately 10 hours after the incident. Their bodies were recovered about 200 feet downstream from the bridge.”

“Their seven-year-old son, Dharma Radiya, remained missing for two agonising days. His body was eventually discovered 48 hours later, having been carried downstream to Meta Khambhaliya village, several kms from the initial site of the mishap. The child’s remains were subsequently taken to Gondal Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination,” the sources added.

The family had embarked on their journey early on August 28, intending to reach the home of their relative Raju Padmani in Big Khilori village. They were on their way to attend the final rites of a relative in Karia village in Junagadh district.

However, the heavy rains that lashed the region for days resulted in flooding of rivers and streams.

“On the afternoon of August 29, the couple’s three daughters performed the final rites of their parents,” sources added.

As of today, Gujarat has received 111% of its average seasonal rainfall.

Kutch zone recorded the highest rainfall at over 177%, followed by the Saurashtra zone with more than 124%, and the South Gujarat zone with over 111%. East-Central Gujarat received more than 105%, while North Gujarat still lags with 87% of the season’s average rainfall.

Mundra taluka in Kutch recorded the highest with over 8 inches of rain, followed by Dwarka taluka in Devbhumi Dwarka with more than 7 inches, and Abdasa taluka in Kutch with over 6 inches of rainfall. Anjar taluka also saw over 3 inches of rainfall. Gandhidham, Bhuj, and Lakhpat talukas in Kutch also received 2 inches of rain each.

(This story was taken from a syndicated feed, and edited only for style by Gujarat Samachar Digital staff)