Groom, 8 Others Killed After Car Falls Into River on the Way To Wedding Venue

The vehicle was on its way to Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh when the mishap occurred.

Nine people, including a groom, were killed after their car fell from a lower bridge into the Chambal river in Rajasthan's Kota on Sunday, 20 February. They were on their way to the wedding venue in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh when the driver lost control of the vehicle, reported NDTV.

Seven bodies were first pulled out of the car, which had plunged nearly eight feet into the water. The remaining two bodies were recovered later, a police official told NDTV.

Speaking to the Times of India, Kota Superintendent of Police (SP) Kesar Singh Shekhawat said that the bodies were in the mortuary for post mortem, adding that most of those deceased were aged between 22 and 28 years.

"It looks like the diver might have lost control over the car due to morning drowsiness that led the car to plunge into the river," Shekhawat told TOI.

The vehicle had left Choth Ka Barwada in Sawai Madhopur and was on its way to the wedding venue in Ujjain, when the mishap occurred, hours before the wedding.

While most members of the procession were travelling by a bus that took the main bridge, the vehicle that carried the groom, his cousins and friends took the lower one, which is not open to traffic, reported TOI.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condoled the loss of lives in the mishap on Twitter.

"The death of nine people, including a groom, after a car ferrying a wedding procession in Kota fell into the Chambal river is very sad and unfortunate. I received information about the whole incident after talking to the collector. My deepest sympathies are with the bereaved family, may God give them strength to bear this loss, may the soul of the departed rest in peace," he said.