An accident in Haryana's Kaithal claimed the lives of seven family members, including three women and four girls, when their car fell into a canal near Mundri village on Saturday, according to police. The victims were on their way to the Baba Rajpuri Mela, held to mark the Dussehra festival.
The police revealed that the vehicle, carrying nine people—eight from the same family—lost control, leading to the mishap, news agency PTI reported. The driver survived the incident, but seven occupants drowned. A 12-year-old girl, Komal, remains missing, with search efforts ongoing to locate her.
The deceased were identified as Satwinder (50), Chameli (65), Teejo (45), Fiza (16), Vandana (10), Riya (10), and Ramandeep (6), all hailing from Deeg village in Kaithal.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Lalit Kumar, while speaking to the media, stated, "We received the information that a family going to a fair, their car fell into a canal near Mundri in which 7 family members died, only the driver is alive. We have this information that one girl is missing. We are not confirm about it and a rescue operation is going on. Out of 7 deceased - 4 are girl children and 3 are adult women... The reason behind this incident is being investigated", news agency ANI reported.
Kaithal Accident: PM Narendra Modi Expresses Condolences, Announces Ex Gratia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his grief over the incident. He described the accident as "heart-rending" and offered his condolences to the bereaved families. "May God give them strength to bear this pain. The local administration is making every effort to assist, under the state government's supervision," he stated in a translated message.
The Prime Minister also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
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