Bijnor, July 22: Forty passengers had a providential escape on Saturday when the bus in which they were travelling got stuck in the swirling waters of the Kotawali river that overflowed its banks and flooded a causeway on the road to Haridwar.

JCB machines were brought in to rescue the passengers of the bus travelling from Rupaidiha in Bahraich, around 450 km from here, to Haridwar on an Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus. Uttar Pradesh Floods Video: Bus Gets Stuck on Road After River Overflows in Bijnor, Passengers Rescued Using JCB.

Bus Stuck On Flooded Road

The incident took place in the morning and the bus was also pulled out, Najibabad police Circle Officer (CO) Gajendra Singh said. Dramatic visuals from the Mandawali area on the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand road showed the bus marooned as fast flowing water raged around it, covering the wheels and almost reaching the windows. As people watched from a nearby bridge, the strong currents eddied and rose, threatening to topple the vehicle. Uttar Pradesh Rains: Stairs of Ghats and Small Temples Submerged in Varanasi After Water Level of Ganga River Increases Due to Torrential Rain (Watch Video).

Passengers Rescued With JCB

The passengers were seen coming out from the bus windows and sitting in an excavator bucket as police personnel oversaw the rescue operation. Heavy rains caused the water level in the river to rise along the Najibabad-Haridwar road in the morning, the CO said.