Four men were killed and two others were rescued after their car skidded off a rain-soaked highway and plunged into a drain in Gujarat’s Kheda district late Thursday night, as incessant monsoon showers continued to wreak havoc across the state.
The victims, all residents of Ahmedabad, were travelling in an Ertiga when the accident occurred near Motipura village on the Kheda-Matar highway. Preliminary investigations suggest the driver lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a sharp bend amid heavy rain. The car overturned and was swept into a fast-flowing drain, trapping those inside.
According to officials, six people were travelling in the vehicle. Two occupants seated in the front managed to survive and were rescued after an extensive operation, while the four passengers in the rear seats drowned.
The victims were identified as Raj Rathod, 26, Mustakim Rajput, 19, Mayur Panchal, 34, and Virendrasinh Shekhawat, 26, originally from Sikar in Rajasthan.
The survivors, Dharmendra Singh Gill, 28, and Mukesh Chauhan, 32, also Ahmedabad residents, were pulled out alive and shifted to Kheda Civil Hospital. They are said to be out of danger.
The police said that locals were the first to respond after noticing the vehicle fall into the drain. They alerted the police and district authorities, triggering a large-scale rescue operation involving the Kheda fire department and emergency services.
Kheda Prant Officer Suraj Barot said preliminary findings indicate that the vehicle went out of control while negotiating a sharp turn. The Kheda district police have registered a case of accidental death.
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Residents of Chharanagar and Rabarivas, who were stranded on their rooftops, were rescued by the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services. (Photo credit: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation)
Record rainfall leaves Ahmedabad submerged
Ahmedabad was inundated by 295 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending 6 am Friday, marking the city’s fourth‑highest single‑day rainfall ever, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) records.
The weather bureau said Ahmedabad received 294.6 mm of rain between 6 am Thursday and 6 am Friday. This is the highest rain seen in the city in a single day since 2000, when 325.9 mm of rain was recorded.
The deluge left several parts of the city under water, with residential societies, roads, and underpasses remaining submerged early Friday morning. Several cars and two-wheelers were spotted abandoned on roads, like the 132-foot Ring Road AEC Bridge.
Residents of Sabarmati, Chharanagar, and Rabarivas were stranded on their rooftops after water entered their homes. After they contacted the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) control room for help, the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services rescued nearly a dozen people, including senior citizens over the age of 70, and left them with locals and relatives.
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“After receiving a call from the Paldi control room, we found that Sabarmati, Chharanagar, and Rabarivas were flooded. People had climbed onto the rooftops to save themselves. We rescued them,” an AMC official said.
As waters began to recede, authorities said stranded vehicles would be cleared to prevent traffic jams and accidents.
Several areas flooded even on Friday
Despite overnight pumping work, several parts of Ahmedabad remained waterlogged on Friday morning. AMC staff were seen opening manholes on the flooded roads. Four pumps were running at Vejalpur drainage station, civic officials said.
The flooded areas included Moti Bakery and Ektanagar in Danilimda, Punit Nagar Road and Atmaram Park in Jodhpur, and Krushnabaug in Maninagar, where water was pumped out of a shopping complex. Pumping vans were also stationed at South Bopal’s Basant Bahar.
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Bhagwat Bungalows in South Bopal and Valinath Chowk in Naranpura were under knee-deep water. The Ambli BRTS bus stand, K K Nagar Road, Patidar Chowk in Ghatlodiya, and Bhairavnath in Maninagar were similarly inundated.
Thursday’s deluge left several parts of Ahmedabad under water, with residential societies, roads, and underpasses submerged early Friday morning. (Photo: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation)
Pumping machines were deployed outside multiple residential societies in areas including Sabarmati Toll Naka, Shivranjani Cross Road, Paraskunj Part‑2 in Jodhpur, D‑Mart Vejalpur, Utsav Garden Sarkhej, Judges Bungalow Road, Bopal‑Ghuma Road, Little Wings Abhishek Society, Khodiyar Baug, Amarnah Park, Samarpan Flats, and Poonam Flats in Chandkheda. Yet many areas remained underwater.
A tree collapsed on the posh Judges Bungalow Road, leading to traffic chaos early Friday morning. Roads towards Airport Circle in Sardarnagar and Corporate Road were also flooded.
At 9 am, stretches along the posh areas on the Sarkhej Gandhinagar Highway near Palladium Mall and Shilaj overbridge were still submerged.
When Ahmedabad saw the highest rain
1. 414.8 mm (1927)
2. 325.9 mm (2000)
3. 322.3 mm (1967)
4. 294.6 mm (2026)
5. 288.1 mm (2014)
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Rain cripples traffic in Dang district; 18 roads still closed
Dang district in the South Gujarat region bordering Maharashtra saw heavy rain on Thursday. Water flowed over causeways and small bridges, forcing the closure of 41 roads by Thursday evening. By 8 am Friday, water had receded on 23 stretches, but 18 roads remained shut, the district administration said.
Most roads were closed in Waghai taluka. Authorities said alternative routes have been arranged and the roads would be reopened once the water level recedes.
According to the District Control Room, Waghai witnessed 367 mm of rainfall on Thursday, Ahva 212 mm, and Subir 211 mm. The average rainfall in the district was pegged at 263.33 mm.
The administration appealed to citizens not to cross rivers, canals, or causeways, avoid unnecessary travel, and follow advisories issued by the IMD. Residents were also urged to contact the district control room for the latest road updates.
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Roads closed in Dang district on Friday morning: Dungarda V A Road, Dodipada-Barda Road, Waghai-Dodipada-Dagdiamba-Bhendmal Road, Dodipada-Chikar Phaliya Road, Dagdiamba-Barda Road, Nasha Phaliya-Koylipada Road, Vanzhatamba-Koylipada Road, Giradabadar Road, Padharamal-Upala Phaliya Road, Khatal Phatak-Dhodi Road, Bhenskatri Main Road-Asariya Phaliya Road (Old Road), Godadiya-Pandharmal Road, Kalibel-Pandharmal-Wankan Road, Machili-Chikhla-Divadyavan Road, Susarda V A Road, Ghodwahal V A Road, Aherdi–Bordahad Road, and Baj Main Road-Malin Road.
Residents of Chharanagar and Rabarivas, who were stranded on their rooftops, were rescued by the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services. (Photo credit: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation)
Thursday’s deluge left several parts of Ahmedabad under water, with residential societies, roads, and underpasses submerged early Friday morning. (Photo: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation)