19 devotees rescued from Jalaun temple as river Betwa rises

Jhansi: A joint team of PAC (flood) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Tuesday night rescued 19 devotees who were stranded in a temple in Jalaun for over 24 hours due to sudden rise in water level of Betwa river.

The devotees, belonging to Jalaun’s Pirona village, had gone to the temple to attend a religious ceremony but had to stay there as water submerged the area around the temple.

One of the stranded devotees contacted local police for help on Tuesday after which senior officials of police and district administration reached the spot. After assessing the situation, officials sought the help of PAC (flood) and NDRF.

Both the teams reached Jalaun Tuesday evening and started rescue operation. The teams rescued all the 19 people by late night.

District magistrate, Jalaun, Mannan Akhtar said: “Water level had risen due to release of water in Betwa river. Water also filled dry canals. The rescue operation became more challenging because of darkness.” He said at least 30 villages were facing the risk of floods as the water level in Betwa was just two metres below danger mark.