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A 27-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, has died after his car fell into a 20-foot water-filled pit in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday night.
Eyewitnesses, including his father, said that the man repeatedly called for help and used his phone's torch to signal his location to rescuers. However, poor visibility due to heavy fog and a lack of divers hampered the rescue effort, leading to his death.
Yuvraj reportedly lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the pit, which had been dug for the basement of an under-construction building near the road. The accident occurred amidst dense fog and low visibility.
According to Yuvraj's father, Rajkumar Mehta, he received a call from his son immediately after the crash. Although Rajkumar and rescue teams arrived within minutes, authorities reportedly lacked the necessary resources to retrieve the young man.
Yuvraj remained trapped on the roof of the car for nearly two hours, from midnight to 2 am, trying to balance himself to prevent the vehicle from sinking. When no officials entered the ditch, a local delivery agent, Moninder, tied a rope around his waist and jumped into the water in an attempt to save him.
Tragically, Yuvraj drowned before he could be reached. His body and the car were eventually pulled from the ditch after a five-hour rescue operation.
The delivery agent alleged that rescue personnel were initially reluctant to enter the water due to the cold, poor visibility, and the presence of iron rods at the construction site.
The family has filed a formal complaint, alleging that authorities had failed to install reflectors or cover drains along the service road. Following the incident, the Noida Authority terminated the services of a junior engineer and issued show-cause notices to other officials responsible for traffic-related works in the area.
Satish Pal, Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Noida Authority, said, "The investigation will reveal whose land it was, to whom it was allotted, and who was responsible for its maintenance. That road is in an area that is not yet a fully developed sector." He assured that further action would be taken following the inquiry.
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