Ludhiana, 28 July 2025:
In a tragic incident late Sunday night, six persons, including children, lost their lives and five others went missing after a pick-up truck carrying 25 pilgrims fell into the Sirhind canal from Jagera Bridge on the Malerkotla road near Dehlon, in Ludhiana district.
The group was returning to their village Manakwal after paying obeisance at Mata Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh when the accident occurred.
According to eyewitnesses, the vehicle was overloaded and the driver lost control while attempting to overtake another vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and into the canal.
Upon receiving the information around 9:45 pm, Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, SSP Khanna Dr Jyoti Yadav, MLA Manvinder Singh Giaspura, and other officials rushed to the site. Divers were immediately deployed to search for the missing individuals and retrieve bodies from the canal.
SSP Yadav confirmed that six people died in the accident, and several others suffered injuries and were admitted to various hospitals in Ludhiana, Khanna, and Ahmedgarh Mandi.
Sarpanch Kesar Singh of Manakwal village also arrived at the spot and said the entire group had left for the pilgrimage on July 26, and tragedy struck while they were returning home.
Rescue operations are ongoing to locate the missing persons.