Kheda: A family vacation turned tragic on Wednesday evening when six young members of a family, most of them cousins, drowned while swimming in the Meshwa River near Kanij village in Mahemdavad taluka of Gujarat’s Kheda district. All six bodies have been recovered by rescue teams.
The victims, Jinal, Falguni, Mayur and Dhruv from Ahmedabad’s Naroda area, along with Bhumika and Divya from Kanij, had gathered at their relatives’ home in Kanij for a vacation. During a casual dip in the river, they were pulled under by strong currents.
Local villagers responded quickly upon hearing their screams, but were unable to save them. Rescue operations by local responders, police, and fire department teams followed swiftly. Four bodies were recovered soon after the incident, and the remaining two were found later.
Kheda District Collector Amit Prakash, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Ghadiya, and BJP MLA Arjunsinh Chauhan were present at the site to oversee the operation. Kheda Superintendent of Police Rajesh Ghadiya stated, “Six individuals aged between 14 and 21, who were siblings or cousins, had gone to bathe in the Meshwa River and drowned. Among them were four girls and two boys. All six bodies have been recovered.”
The incident has left both the local community and the families in deep grief. Authorities have reminded citizens to exercise extreme caution around water bodies, especially during the monsoon and high-flow periods.