Raipur, July 27 -- A former village head and his wife were reported missing after their car was swept away by a stream in Sarangarh-Bilaigarh district in Chhattisgarh on Sunday evening, police said. This prompted a search operation by police, locals and divers from Raigarh district.

Police identified the missing persons as Devnarayan Patel, a former head of Ghotla Bade village, and his wife Parvati Patel.

Police said the incident occurred around 7pm on the Sarangarh-Baramkela road near Ghotla Bade village after the couple attempted to cross a low-lying causeway submerged due to heavy rain.

According to witnesses, the car was caught in the strong current, lost control and was swept downstream within seconds.

Soon after the incident, po...