‘They screamed for help at 3am’: 12 rescued from surging Falgu river in Gaya, 2 feared swept away

GAYA: At least 12 people, including women and children, were rescued in the early hours of Thursday after a sudden surge in the Falgu river's water level, triggered by two days of intermittent rain.

Two people are feared to have been swept away by the strong current, reports Alok Kumar.With the prompt response of locals and the State Disaster Response Force, the trapped people were pulled to safety. The incident occurred near Kirani Ghat in Gaya under the six-lane bridge over the Falgu river. Additional district magistrate (disaster management) Kumar Pankaj said, "On Thursday early morning, at least 12 people were rescued from the Falgu river when there was a surge in the water level. Those rescued are not locals and live like nomads. After being rescued, they left for some other place."

Locals rush to rescue those trapped in Falgu

According to officials, the group, believed to be a nomadic family, had been sleeping near one of the bridge pillars when the river rose rapidly around 3am. Trapped by the sudden current, they cried out for help.Local resident Santosh Kumar said, "Hearing the screams of the trapped people, locals rushed to the bridge. They threw down a rope and asked them to hold it tightly. People were pulled up one by one. By that time, the SDRF team also arrived and rescued the rest."