Rescue operations in progress at the Saryu canal accident site in Gonda district, August 2025 (TOI)
This heartbreaking incident occurred on 3 August 2025, when 11 devotees traveling in a Bolero bus with 15 passengers lost their lives after it lost control and fell into the swollen Saryu canal near Itiathok in Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh.
The worshippers were traveling to a temple for darshan when heavy rains had elevated the water level of the canal and constricted the roadside lanes. Persons who witnessed the accident would say the vehicle slipped while overtaking and snaked into the water, with the passengers hardly having any time to escape.
The local teams with the assistance of NDRF divers raised eleven bodies. The other three helped themselves to safety and are now under medication. One person is still missing, and the search is still ongoing.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condemned the incident shortly after it happened and offered his condolences, promising quick relief measures; he announced ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh to each family of the deceased and instructed the administration to hasten all rescue and relief work and medical aid.
Meanwhile, the administration has launched an investigation into the accident's cause along with the measures for affected families.
District Magistrate Priyanka Niranjan and Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal arrived at the site for supervising relief work. The search schedule is the collaborative effort of both local and state agencies for the missing person.
Authorities suggested that the narrow road beside the canal, worsened by heavy rains and increased water flow, rendered the condition dangerous. As per the preliminary details, the driver lost control while trying to overtake, and the vehicle skidded into the canal. This reestablishes the danger of driving next to fast-flowing water, especially during monsoons.
