Man drowns during idol immersion in Yamuna; search on

New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) A 20-year-old man drowned while participating in an idol immersion ritual in the Yamuna River in east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar area, triggering a multi-agency rescue operation, police

said on Sunday.

The incident came to light on Saturday evening after the Mayur Vihar police station received information from the Uttar Pradesh Police about a man being swept away in a canal that feeds into the Yamuna, they said.

According to the police, a team immediately rushed to the spot to verify the information and conduct preliminary enquiries.

“During the probe, it emerged that a group of eight to ten people from Sector-5 of Harola in Noida had travelled to the Yamuna riverbank for idol immersion,” a senior police officer said.

Police said four members of the group entered the canal to immerse the idol. While three of them managed to come out safely, one person was unable to withstand the strong water current and was swept away.

The missing man was later identified as Vikas, 20, a resident of Harola in Noida.

Soon after the incident, a search and rescue operation was launched. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) of Uttar Pradesh initiated efforts to trace the missing man, he said.

Meanwhile, an officer of the Delhi Fire Services also received information on Sunday morning about the rescue.

“We immediately rushed one team for the rescue operation. Teams are still there as the search operation is continue,” said the DFS official.

Information was also shared through the control room with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Fire Brigade and ambulance services to strengthen the rescue operation.

Professional divers were subsequently deployed at the site to assist in the search.

Boat Club In-charge Harish said the rescue operation formally began around 8.30 pm on Saturday. “Teams were mobilised immediately after receiving the information, and boats and divers were pressed into service to search the canal and adjoining stretches of the river,” he said.

However, the operation faced several hurdles. Due to poor visibility and inadequate lighting conditions at night, rescue efforts had to be suspended around 12.30 am on Sunday.

“The search was resumed early Sunday morning at around 6.20 am when visibility improved,” Harish told PTI, adding that four boats and 14 trained divers were currently deployed in the operation.

Rescue teams are methodically scanning the canal as well as nearby stretches of the Yamuna River.

They added that the operation has been particularly challenging because of the strong water flow and complicated further as water from the Kondli Canal merges at the spot where the drowning occurred, increasing the force and volume of the current.

“Despite these difficulties, rescue personnel have continued their efforts with caution, using boats and experienced divers to comb the area thoroughly in the hope of locating the missing man,” another official said. PTI BM SHS