Software engineer dies as car falls into drainage pit amid dense fog in Noida
New Delhi: A 27-year-old software engineer tragically lost his life after his car collided with a drainage boundary and plunged into a deep ditch in Greater Noida, sparking anger among local residents over poor road safety measures.
The incident occurred near Sector 150 on Friday night when the victim, identified as Yuvraj Mehta, was returning home from work, officials said on Sunday.
According to the officials, dense fog coupled with the absence of reflectors on the road caused his car to hit a high-ground ridge separating two drainage basins.
The vehicle then fell into a 70-foot-deep ditch filled with water.
Eyewitnesses said Mehta screamed for help as his car submerged.
In a harrowing phone call to his father, Rajkumar Mehta, he said, “Dad, I’ve fallen into a deep pit filled with water. I’m drowning. Please come and save me. I don’t want to die.”
Rescue efforts began immediately, with local police, divers, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams rushing to the spot.
His father, Rajkumar Mehta, was also present during the operation.
After nearly five hours, the team managed to pull Mehta and his car out of the ditch, but he was declared dead at the scene.
Following the tragedy, Mehta’s family filed a complaint, alleging that authorities had neither installed reflectors nor covered the drains along the service road.
Rajkumar Mehta said the lack of safety measures amid dense fog led to his son’s death.
Knowledge Park Police Station in-charge Sarvesh Kumar stated that any negligence found during the investigation will be addressed and legal action taken where necessary.
The incident also triggered protests from residents of the area, who claimed they had repeatedly requested the installation of reflectors and proper signage along the service road but received no response.
Protesters shouted slogans against local authorities, demanding immediate action to prevent such accidents in the future.