Man Dies as Car Swept Away While Crossing Submerged Bridge

A person tragically lost his life when his car was swept away on a submerged bridge in Asansol. The National Disaster Response Force recovered the body, highlighting perilous conditions caused by torrential rains leading to waterlogging across the region.

Asansol:One person died after his car was swept away by water while crossing a submerged bridge here in Paschim Bardhaman district, officials said on Saturday, August 3. The accident took place as the four-wheeler was crossing the submerged Kalyanpur Housing area bridge in Asansol.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) recovered the body on Saturday and sent it for post-mortem, officials said. Locals said that the accident occurred because the driver did not listen to instructions or warnings against crossing the submerged bridge, locals claimed. As the driver moved forward, the vehicle got swept away by the strong current.

Between Tuesday night and Wednesday night, Calcutta and the rest of south Bengal received heavy spells of rain due to the development of a cyclonic circulation and the monsoon trough's favorable position. More rain is expected over the next few days, according to the meteorological office (MET) office.

Situations took a rough turn so much so that flight operations to and from the Kazi Nazrul Islam (KNI) airport at Andal in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district were temporarily suspended on Friday due to water logging in and around its premises. Officials said the airport is expected to be operational later on Saturday, August 3.

According to them, repair efforts are moving forward and the water levels on the runway and other airport service facilities are decreasing. Numerous temporary bridges in the Birbhum district have been submerged by overflowing rivers. Since Thursday, the sanctum sanctorum of Birbhum's Kankalitala Temple has been submerged in water.

This is not the first incident of death that has taken place amid intense spells of rain in the city and its surroundings. In one such similar incident, a young woman died a few metres from her home in Howrah’s Salkia as she tried to wade through knee-deep water on Thursday night.