Engineer drowns after 90-minute wait as rescue efforts fail in Greater Noida
Greater Noida: A 27-year-old software engineer lost his life in Greater Noida after his car plunged into a deep, waterlogged pit in dense fog, with rescue teams unable to reach him in time despite his repeated pleas for help.
The victim is identified as Yuvraj Mehta, who worked in Gurugram. Mehta was driving back to his residence at Tata Eureka Park in Noida’s Sector 150 over the weekend when the accident occurred. According to police, Mehta misjudged a turn amid poor visibility. The vehicle jumped a drain before crashing into an approximately 50-foot-deep pit filled with rainwater. Investigators noted that the excavation site had no barricades, reflective markers or warning signage.
After the car fell into the pit, Mehta managed to climb onto its roof and remained there for nearly 90 minutes as water levels rose. During that time, he called his father, Raj Kumar Mehta, seeking urgent help. “My son himself called me while he was trapped. He said, ‘Papa, I am stuck, the car has fallen into the drain,’” his father had said earlier, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Teams from the police, fire department, State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force eventually reached the spot, but their movement was slowed by heavy winter fog and darkness. Police said ropes thrown into the pit failed to reach Mehta, while ladders and a crane deployed by firefighters were also unable to bridge the distance. Before he could be pulled out, the car sank completely. His body was later recovered using a boat.
Following public outrage over the incident, police registered a case of culpable homicide against two real estate firms linked to the plot, MZ Wiztown Planners Ltd and Lotus Greens Construction Pvt Ltd. Both companies denied responsibility. Lotus Greens said the land had been transferred to another party with the Noida Authority’s approval in 2019-20, while MZ Wiztown Planners’ promoter Abhay Kumar claimed the excavation already existed when the land was handed over and that the firm had not been granted permission to begin work.
The Noida Authority has also issued show-cause notices to officials responsible for traffic-related work in the Sector 150 area, and a junior engineer has been dismissed. Assistant Commissioner of Police Hemant Upadhyay told HT that the initial findings suggest that dense fog may have caused Mehta to misjudge the turn, adding that overspeeding was also being examined as a possible factor. Officials acknowledged that although streetlights were present, near-zero visibility due to fog severely limited sightlines at the time of the accident.
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KKR hammer DC by eight wickets as Allen smashes unbeaten ton
New Delhi (PTI): Finn Allen smashed a 47-ball 100 not out as Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed Delhi Capitals by eight wickets to register their fourth win on the trot in the IPL, here on Friday.
Opting to bowl, KKR spinners led by Sunil Narine strangled Delhi Capitals in the middle overs on a tacky surface to restrict them to 142/8.
Pathum Nissanka struck a quick 50 (29 balls; 5x4, 3x6) but Delhi lost momentum after his dismissal, scoring just 11 runs between the 12th and 16th overs as Anukul Roy (2/31), Kartik Tyagi (2/25) and Sunil Narine (1/17) applied the brakes.
Ashutosh Sharma’s late 28-ball 39 (3x4, 3x6), gave Delhi some respite.
In reply, Allen, who came in as Impact Sub for Varun Chakravarthy, smashed 10 sixes and five fours to make it a lopsided chase as KKR sealed the win in just 14.2 overs.
Brief Scores:
Delhi Capitals 142/8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 50, Ashutosh Sharma 39; Anukul Roy 2/31, Kartik Tyagi 2/25). Kolkata Knight Riders 147/2 in 14.2 overs (Finn Allen 100 not out).
