Rajasthan: Four missing after boat capsizes during Durga idol immersion in Kota

Rescue teams and professional divers are searching the Kotri canal, while police have urged people to use designated idol immersion sites equipped with emergency facilities.

Kota: Four people went missing after a boat carrying seven occupants capsized in the Kotri canal in Rajasthan’s Kota during the immersion of Durga idols, thepolice said on Tuesday (October 20). Three people managed to swim to safety, while rescue teams launched a search for the missing occupants.

Professional divers and emergency response personnel have been deployed along the canal to trace the four missing people. Superintendent of Police Tejaswani Gautam said thatteams were working continuously to locate them and had collected the names of some people who were aboard the boat.

“We received information that some people had arrived at Canal Road for the immersion of Durga idols when their boat, carrying 7 individuals, capsized. Three of them knew how to swim and managed to get out, but the other four did not... Our teams are making continuous efforts to locate them. We have obtained the names of some of the individuals who were on the boat,” he told reporters.

Following the accident, the district administration urged people to use designated sites for religious idol immersions. Officials said these sites have rescue boats, trained divers and emergency teams to respond to accidents in the water.

Gautam said that the immediate priority was to find the four missing people. She also explained that rescue facilities could not be stationed at every point along the canal, making it important for people to follow the administration’s designated arrangements.

“A rescue operation is presently in progress; our top priority is to ensure the safe recovery of the four missing persons. The administration has designated specific sites for immersion, where boats, divers and rescue teams are stationed. It is not feasible to provide such arrangements at every point along the entire canal. The administration urges everyone to conduct immersions only at these designated locations,” the SP said.

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