MP: Labourers’ bodies recovered from Omkareshwar canal after two-day search

Khandwa, June 11 (IANS) The bodies of three labourers employed on the Omkareshwar-Mortakka four-lane road project were recovered from the main canal of the Omkareshwar Dam on Thursday after an intensive two-day search operation, police said.

The incident occurred near Kothi village, around four kilometres before Omkareshwar, where the three men had reportedly gone for a bath on Wednesday evening.

Omkareshwar police station SHO A.K. Sindhiya said the search was launched after the labourers failed to return to their work camp. He explained that on June 10, Ramcharan, a dumper driver with the construction company, informed police that he had seen Sunil Sahu, Bhagwan Das and Aniket Yadav bathing in the canal. When they did not return, their co-workers searched the area and found their clothes and slippers on the canal bank.

Police registered a missing person report and began a search operation with the help of local divers. The first day’s efforts continued till sunset but yielded no results. The operation resumed on Thursday morning, leading to the recovery of two bodies.

“The bodies of Sunil Sahu (20), a resident of Sidhi district, and Aniket Yadav, around 25, from Bihar’s Gopalganj district, were found about 200 metres downstream from the spot where they had entered the canal,” Sindhiya said. Both bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.

Later in the evening, search teams recovered the body of the third labourer, Bhagwan Das (20), from nearly 300 metres downstream.

Preliminary investigation suggests that one of the youths may have ventured into deep water while bathing, and the other two apparently entered the canal in an attempt to rescue him, leading to all three drowning.

After completion of legal formalities, the bodies were handed over to the families. Police said further investigation is underway to establish the exact sequence of events leading to the tragedy.

–IANS

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