Himachal: Dam authorities, villagers save two children trapped in middle of Sutlej River

Mandi/Bilaspur (HP): Thanks to the promptness of NTPC Koldam project authorities and the courage of some villagers, two children were rescued after getting trapped in the sudden surge in the Sutlej River in Bilaspur district's Khangar village.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, when three children, Krish (8), his sister Mannat (10) and Anuj Thakur (12) were playing on the bank of the river on Wednesday evening, according to officials.

The 800 MW Koldam Project, located upstream on the river, released water for power generation after blowing the siren.

As the water level started to rise, Krish and Anuj sat on a big stone in the river, while Mannat managed to come out of the water.

She raised an alarm, and a large number of residents of Mandi and Bilaspur district assembled on both sides of the river.

As the information about the incident reached Anjana Kumari, ward member of Lower Bhated Panchayat, she contacted the dam authorities, who immediately closed the dam gates to reduce the water flow.

When the water level decreased, Rajendra Kumar (55), a resident of Nichli Bhater village, reached the children with the help of ropes and took them out safely.

"I received a message that two kids were trapped in water around 6:30 on Wednesday evening and ran to save the kids," said Kumar, who is a driver by profession.

However, the gate closing halted power generation for some time and caused other losses, too.

On Thursday, the parents of the children, public representatives and other villagers reached the office of NTPC Koldam and expressed their gratitude to the management.

Rajendra Kumar, who saved the children by jumping into the river, was also honoured on the occassion.