Gwalior, August 15: In a tragic incident, 11 people have drowned while bathing near Sultangarh Waterfall in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh this afternoon. According to reports, 30-40 people are still stranded on the spot, while seven have been rescued till now. A team of National Disaster Response Force have reached the spot. A helicopter was pressed into service to save others who were trapped on two big rocks in the water downstream.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan said that efforts were underway to rescue the people stuck at the spot. Chouhan tweeted, “Efforts underway to rescue those stranded. I'm in touch with rescue teams. Seven people have been rescued till now.”  Chouhan also spoke to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to seek help for rescue operations.

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has visited Sultan Garh Waterfalls to take stock of the situation. Talking to media he said, "They came here for a picnic, suddenly the water level increased&they were left stranded. Teams of Police, BSF, SDRF and Navy were deployed immediately to rescue them."

The waterfall is located in Subhashpura area bordering Gwalior district near Mohana village. It is 55 km from the district headquarters. There was a sudden surge in the water around 4.30 PM, possibly due to heavy rain upstream, catching those bathing near the waterfall unawares. A large number of tourists visited the place today due to Independence Day holiday.

(With inputs from PTI)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 15, 2018 11:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).