KOLKATA: In what locals have described as a miraculous escape, a 65-year-old woman who was swept away by the swollen Damodar river was rescued nearly 45 km downstream in West Bengal, police said.
The incident occurred at Jakta village in the Rayna area of Purba Bardhaman district, where the river was in spate following heavy rainfall and water discharge from the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) dams, a senior police officer confirmed.
"Maturi Tudu had gone to bathe in the Damodar river alone. She was swept away by strong currents caused by the DVC's water release and continuous rains," the officer said.
With the joint efforts of police and local villagers, Tudu was found and rescued 45–50 km downstream. She was initially taken to Jamalpur Rural Hospital, where doctors noted that she had fallen ill due to prolonged exposure to water. She was later shifted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital for further treatment.
“I went to bathe in the river on Sunday afternoon and was swept away. I somehow managed to hold onto something until villagers rescued me,” Tudu recounted.
Jamalpur Block Trinamool Congress president Mehemud Khan said the elderly woman was handed over to her family after police verified her identity. “She survived purely by luck,” he remarked.