Headmaster swept away in Gadchiroli floods

The incident occurred when he was returning to his village, Jonawahi, from Palle, five kilometers away from his house. He was trying to cross an overflowing nullah when he got swept away

NAGPUR: The headmaster of a Zilla Parishad school in Gadchiroli was swept away by rainwater while crossing an overflowing nullah on Tuesday evening, as incessant rains continued to batter the district. His body was found later that night, said a police officer.

Headmaster swept away in Gadchiroli floods

According to the police, the incident occurred when the victim, Vasant Talande, was returning to his village, Jonawahi, from Palle, five kilometers away from his house. He had called his wife to inform her that he would be reaching home soon but he didn’t return, after which she filed a missing complaint, said a police officer. Later that night, a resident alerted the authorities after finding a body in the Sipanpalli nullah of Bhamragarh taluka. The police identified the body after inquiring into missing persons complaints from the area and on Wednesday morning, Talande’s wife confirmed the identity, the officer said.

This marks the second rain-related death within 24 hours in the area. On Monday evening, a 19-year-old youth, Lalchand Kapilsai Ladka of Kodpe village, was swept away while trying to cross an overflowing nullah in Khandi.

Continuous downpours have disrupted normal life across Vidarbha, damaging houses, disrupting transportation, and causing human loss. Gadchiroli has emerged as the worst-hit district, with over 100 villages in Bhamragarh taluka cut off from the district headquarters, said Kishore Bagde, the tahsildar of Bhamragarh. Relief and rescue operations with joint efforts from the Disaster Management Team, revenue officials, and the police are underway to help the vulnerable people, the police said.