Gujarat: Four dead after family rescue attempt goes wrong at Aji Dam in Rajkot
Rajkot: Four members of a family drowned in Aji Dam in Rajkot on Saturday after a visit to a riverside temple ended in a fatal sequence of rescue attempts, police said.
The deceased have been identified as rickshaw driver Bharat Jadav (42), his sons Dhaval (18) and Rohit (26), and his wife’s nephew Dhruv Makwana (15).
Three bodies had been recovered by late evening, while one person remained missing at the time of reporting.
According to police, the incident occurred between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., when Bharat Jadav had taken his family in a rickshaw to the edge of Aji Dam near the Mogal Mata temple.
The group had gone to wash the vehicle and offer prayers at the temple situated on the banks of the dam.
Officials said information provided by a survivor indicated that Rohit entered the water first, lost his balance, and began struggling in deep water.
Dhaval and Dhruv then jumped in to rescue him, but also started drowning. Bharat Jadav subsequently entered the water to save them, after which all four were swept into deeper water.
Following the incident, police and fire personnel were contacted and arrived at the scene.
Fire Officer D. V. Jadeja said, “We received a call from the fire control around 4–4:30 p.m. that 3–4 people had gone to bathe at Aji Dam and were drowning. The rescue team reached the spot and recovered three bodies, which were handed over to 108 emergency services.”
Rajkot Deputy Commissioner of Police Hetal Patel said the family had come for temple darshan when the incident occurred. “One of the four had gone to bathe or wash hands and feet and slipped into deep water. In an attempt to save him, others entered one after another, and all drowned,” she said, confirming that three bodies had been recovered while search operations for the fourth continued.
By late Saturday evening, the Rajkot Fire and Emergency Services had retrieved three bodies from the dam, while efforts were ongoing to locate Rohit Jadav.
Police said an Accidental Death (AD) report would be registered at Aji Dam police station after completion of necessary formalities.