Damoh (Madhya Pradesh): A truck driver and cleaner were killed after their cement-laden vehicle fell into a river in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district, police said on Sunday.
The bodies of the two victims were recovered in the early hours of Sunday after cranes were deployed to move the heavy vehicle from the Chilhghat River, an official said.
Around 1 am on Saturday, the 18-wheeler truck, carrying cement from Katni to Damoh, lost control while crossing the river bridge on the Damoh-Katni road, crashed through the railing and plunged around 40 feet into the river, Kumhari police station in-charge Brijesh Pandey told reporters.
The vehicle overturned and got lodged in the river. Locals spotted it in the water the following morning and alerted the police.
Pandey said police suspected that two people could be trapped inside the vehicle. However, strong currents hampered rescue efforts, following which a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team was deployed.
The large quantity of cement loaded on the truck made it extremely difficult to move the vehicle, and rescuers were also unable to ascertain how many people were inside, the official said.
The rescue operation was temporarily halted around 2 pm on Saturday. Three specialised cranes were subsequently brought from Jabalpur by evening, following which the operation resumed, he said.
Late on Saturday night, rescuers noticed a hand inside the truck's cabin as the vehicle was slowly moved with the help of cranes.
Using powerful lights, SDRF personnel examined the cabin and spotted two bodies inside. After considerable effort, they extricated the bodies overnight, the official said.
The deceased truck driver, Abhishek Vanshkar (23), and cleaner, Tulsinath (38), were residents of Vidisha district, he said.
The truck, still heavily loaded with cement, remains stuck in the river and efforts are underway to pull it out, the officer said.
Continuous rainfall in the area over the past three days had caused the river to flow strongly, making the rescue operation particularly challenging, police said.
