A Noida-based techie, Yuvraj Mehta, 27, died of cardiac arrest after being stranded in a drain for hours in Sector-150 on Friday midnight, revealed the autopsy report.
Mehta, 27, was a resident of Noida
Sector-150. He was heading back home from work when his SUV crashed into a 70-foot-deep flooded pit in the sector. As the car plunged into the pit, he climbed onto the roof of the car in an attempt to save himself. When his father, Raj Mehta, got to know that his son was in trouble, he immediately rushed to the spot along with the police.
However, hours of collective efforts by the police, local divers, and the NDRF went in vain as Yuvraj’s body was recovered from the drain at around 4:30 A.M.
The incident has led to a widespread uproar against the officials, as citizens raised questions over public safety. Meanwhile, the Noida authority has sprung into action, terminating the services of a junior engineer and issuing show-cause notices to other officials responsible for traffic-related works in the area.
A survivor narrates the story
While efforts to save Yuvraj Mehta proved unsuccessful, a survivor of the accident at the same location recounted their harrowing experience.
Gurwinder Singh, a truck driver, spoke to CNN-News18 and recalled how he met with an accident at the same site on the night of January 1.
Recounting the details, he said, “There was fog. There was a car moving ahead of my vehicle. After a while, the car turned left, and I turned right. However, on the way ahead, there was a drain on the side of the road. Due to the fog and low visibility, my vehicle plunged into the drain.”
“There were no signboards to alert us about the drain”, he added.
Recalling his ordeal, Singh said, “I lost the balance and fell into the pit. There was a boy on a scooty passing by. He noticed my ordeal and shouted, “Sardaar ji neeche gir gaye“, collecting people from nearby.
“I was stranded there for 3-4 hours. After this, I pleaded for help. I even offered them that I would pay for the JCB. However, the JCB didn’t come; instead, they got a ladder”, he said.
Singh recalled that after 3-4 hours of efforts, he was somehow taken out of the pit. “May god give those who saved me my years of life”, he said.
