Assam: Vehicle carrying EVM partially sinks in river at Sadiya

Guwahati: An SUV transporting an electronic voting machine encountered a mishap in Assam's Lakhimpur constituency on Friday when it partially sank into a river.

Officials reported that the incident occurred as the water level suddenly rose, causing the mechanized boat carrying the vehicle to be swept away.

Thankfully, both the driver and the polling officer managed to evacuate the vehicle before water inundated it, according to an official statement.

The SUV was en route to the Amarpur area in Sadiya to address a technical issue detected in the EVM at the start of polling in the morning, said an official.

A swift response team stationed at Sadiya in Tinsukia district promptly dispatched the SUV, accompanied by the driver and an official, he added.

However, while crossing the Deopani river, the water level and current unexpectedly surged. The boat succumbed to the force of the water, causing the vehicle to partially submerge, the official said.

Following the incident, a team from the State Disaster Response Force was summoned to retrieve the vehicle from the water.

The EVM slated for replacement suffered damage in the accident, the official added.