Five drown during Lord Ganesha idol immersion in Gujarat

In separate incidents, two persons drowned in the Aaji river at Rajkot while three others were swept away in Sabarmati river during Lord Ganesha idol immersion here today, officials said.
"Three persons drowned in the Sabarmati river near the Karai area on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city during the immersion of Lord Ganesha, while one person is missing," an Ahmedabad fire brigade control room officer Girish Bheel said.
A rescue call came to the fire brigade control room, after which a team was rushed to the spot to launch a rescue operation, he said.
However, the three people drowned even before the team of fire brigade officials could reach the spot, Bheel said.

The bodies of the deceased have been fished out and sent for post-mortem while a search operation is on to rescue those still missing, he said, adding that the deceased have not yet been identified.
In the another incident at Rajkot, two persons drowned in a tributary of the Aaji river on the outskirts of the city during Lord Ganesha idol immersion.

"Two persons including an 18-year-old youth drowned to death after they entered river waters near Kankot town on the outskirts of the city today," Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) V A Chandera said.
The deceased were identified as Hiren Joshi (18) and Kanabhai Rabari (30), Chandera said, adding that the two had slipped into the tributary of the Aaji river and drowned.

The incident occurred after a group of youth from Nana Mauva area in Rajkot city went to there immerse Lord Ganesha's idols, she said.
"The bodies of the deceased were recovered by fire brigade officials and sent for post-mortem," she added.