A man along with his wife swept away while crossing a flooded causeway in the Sabarkantha district of Gujarat on Sunday, officials said. The duo spent nearly two hours stranded on top of their partially submerged car before being swept away.


Fire officials eventually rescued the couple after the water level receded, as strong currents initially made the operation difficult in Idar town. The car was carried about 1.5 km from the causeway it was trying to cross, with only its roof visible after the Karol River swelled dangerously, fire officer Kamal Patel explained, news agency PTI reported.


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The official added that the couple managed to exit the car and climb onto the roof, where they remained for about two hours before being rescued. A crowd gathered on the riverbank to watch the rescue, many capturing footage of the car nearly submerged by swirling waters.


Efforts to save the couple were initially unsuccessful due to the powerful current, forcing fire department personnel to wait for the water level to drop, Patel said. Meanwhile, a rescue team equipped with a boat was called for help and it was on its way when the couple was safely brought to safety.






Suresh Mistry, the man rescued, said he attempted to cross the causeway because he believed it was safe after watching another vehicle successfully make it to the other side. "As we were crossing, the water rose and the current became so strong that our car was swept about 1.5 km from the causeway," he explained, adding that he called the fire brigade and police for their assistance.