Man drowns while transporting goat to safety amid UP floods

Gonda: A 25-year-old man drowned in floodwaters while attempting to transport a goat to safety using his personal boat in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident took place in the Nawabganj area on Monday evening, they said. According to Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Tarabganj Vishal Kumar, the incident occurred when Vinod Kumar from Byonda Majha was attempting to transport a goat to a safer location using his personal boat.

“The floodwaters, swollen by Ghaghara river’s strong current, swept him away around 7 pm yesterday (Monday). After Vinod’s family lost contact with him, a search was initiated.

Although the boat and goat were found, Vinod was missing,” Kumar said. “This (Tuesday) morning, locals spotted Vinod’s body floating in the river and informed the local police and administration,” he added. Kumar said the victim’s family has been assured of financial assistance as per government regulations. Meanwhile, District Magistrate Neha Sharma inspected flood-affected areas in Nakhira and Bahuvan Madar Majha under Tehsil Karnalganj on Tuesday. She directed officials to ensure all possible assistance is provided to those impacted by the floods, the officials said.