Eight people, three children and two women among them, died on Saturday (September 19, 2026) after their car was swept away in a swollen drain in Madhya Pradesh’s Agar Malwa district. The victims were on their way to visit a temple in Nalkheda town.
According to the police, the incident took place in the early hours on Saturday (September 19) following a heavy overnight downpour in Nalkheda.
Agar Malwa Superintendent of Police Dilip Soni told The Hindu that seven of the deceased were from a family in Odisha and were on their way to visit the Bagalmukhi temple in Nalkheda, while the driver was a resident of the Badod tehsil area. He said that the accident took place just 50 metres from the temple.
“There is a culvert near the temple, and the drain under it had been overflowing due to heavy rain. The driver tried to cross it to reach the temple but may have misjudged the situation, after which the car lost control and got swept away due to strong currents,” Mr. Soni said, adding that the family had come to Nalkheda after visiting the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain.
The police got information about a submerged car from local people around 9:30 a.m., after which the bodies were recovered, Mr. Soni said.
The police officer said that post-mortem examinations have been conducted on all the bodies, and those of the victims from Odisha have been dispatched to Bhubaneswar. The police have begun inquest proceedings in the case.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep sorrow over the deaths. “The State government has instructed the officials concerned to maintain constant coordination with the Madhya Pradesh government and the local administration regarding the incident,” he said.
“All necessary steps are being taken... to bring the mortal remains back to Odisha with due respect. In this hour of grief, the State government stands firmly by the side of the bereaved families,” Mr. Majhi said.
In Bhubaneswar, a pall of gloom descended on the family of Banamali Behera, who lost his son, two daughters, a son-in-law, and three grandchildren in the accident. The family, originally from the Gadakana area of Bhubaneswar, ran a roadside eatery at the busy Jayadev Vihar Square. They were preparing to celebrate two auspicious occasions — a wedding in the family and moving into a new house. Mr. Behera’s daughter, Radharani Behera, 30, who was among the victims, was scheduled to have her ring ceremony on September 27 after the family returned from their trip. They had begun their journey on September 16.
Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also expressed grief over the incident in a post on X. “I am deeply saddened to learn about the heartbreaking accident in Madhya Pradesh in which seven Odia devotees lost their lives. On this sorrowful occasion, I convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and pray for the eternal peace of the departed souls,” he wrote.
