India: 11 drown in Madhya Pradesh trolley accident during Durga immersion

On October 2, eleven young people, mostly teenagers, drowned when a tractor-trolley carrying devotees for Durga idol immersion overturned in a pond in Pandhana town, Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Authorities said the trolley, carrying around 20–25 passengers, lost balance while reversing into the water and likely hit a stone, causing it to capsize, Caliber.Az reports per Indian media.

Seven girls and four boys, including eight minors, died. Three others were hospitalised, one in critical condition.

Officials noted that a local officer had warned the driver against entering the water body, but the advice was ignored. Rescue teams, including police and local volunteers, retrieved all bodies after a three-hour operation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief. Yadav announced an ex gratia of 4 lakh rupees for the families of the deceased, while the Prime Minister pledged 2 lakh rupees from PMNRF to each family and 50,000 rupees for the injured.

Witnesses said the group had set out to celebrate the end of Navratri when the accident occurred.

During September 2024's Jivitputrika Vrat—a Navratri precursor—flood-swollen rivers in Bihar swallowed 46 souls, mostly children (37 minors), as families bathed in ritual fervour. Heavy monsoons turned sacred waters into perilous torrents, highlighting recurring risks in overcrowded immersions.

In February 2024, Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj saw a pilgrim-laden tractor plunge into a pond, drowning 23 during a Hindu event—again overloading the fatal flaw. These shadows urge stricter safety veils over devotion's fervent dance

By Aghakazim Guliyev