7 of Odisha family among 8 dead as car falls into swollen stream in Madhya Pradesh

The family — including three children and two women, all residents of Bhubaneswar — were travelling from Ujjain to Nalkheda to visit the temple, police sources said.

2 min readBhubaneswarUpdated: Sep 20, 2026 06:10 AM IST

Officials said preliminary findings showed that the vehicle must have tried to cross the stream in haste and was swept away by the force of the water. (Photo generated using AI)

A pilgrimage turned tragic after eight persons, including seven members of a family from Odisha and a taxi driver, were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in was swept away by a rain-swollen stream near the Maa Bagalamukhi Temple at Nalkheda in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

The family — including three children and two women, residents of Bhubaneswar — were travelling from Ujjain to Nalkheda to visit the temple, police said. They had planned the pilgrimage ahead of the engagement of one of those who died. The mishap occurred when the car attempted to cross the swollen stream near the temple amid a strong water current.

Though the rescue team pulled out the submerged vehicle, all the deceased were found trapped inside. The taxi driver who died was identified as Krushna Rajveer.

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Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi offered condolences and asked officials to maintain constant coordination with the Madhya Pradesh government. “All necessary steps are being taken to expedite the rescue and relief operations, as well as to respectfully bring the mortal remains back to Odisha. In this hour of grief, the state government stands firmly by the side of the bereaved families,” Majhi wrote on X.

Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The mishap in Agar Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, is extremely painful.” He also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those injured.

President Droupadi Murmu said the loss of lives in the accident was “extremely saddening”.

Sujit Bisoyi

Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories. He tweets at @bisoyisujit87 ... Read More

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