Kanpur: Six members of a wedding procession, including the groom’s father, had a miraculous escape after their SUV plunged into the rain-swollen Shyam nullah in Mahoba on Saturday night. Trapped inside the submerged vehicle for nearly 90 minutes, the occupants were rescued by a group of local youths who risked their own lives by jumping into the fast-flowing drain.The incident also exposed alleged negligence by authorities, as locals claimed the temporary diversion lacked even basic safety measures despite heavy rains.The accident occurred near Sirsikala village under the Khanna police station area, where a temporary route has been created alongside an under-construction bridge over the Shyam nullah. Residents alleged that although the drain was in spate due to continuous rainfall, neither the Public Works Department (PWD) nor the contractor had installed barricades, warning signs or other safety arrangements on the diversion, resulting in the mishap.The wedding procession of Rohit, a resident of Chichara village, was travelling to Masari village in Banda when the SUV carrying six baraatis lost control while crossing the temporary route and fell into the drain.Hearing desperate cries for help, Taufiq and Shafiq, sons of Israel, who run a tractor repair shop nearby, along with their companions Irfan, Jamshed and Dindayal, immediately jumped into the swollen drain without waiting for emergency responders. Battling the strong current and darkness, they spent nearly one-and-a-half hours rescuing all six occupants from the submerged vehicle, preventing what could have turned into a major tragedy.Police reached the spot after being informed of the accident and, with the help of a tractor, pulled the SUV out of the drain. The bridge over the Shyam nullah has been under construction for nearly a year, forcing commuters to use the temporary diversion.Khanna Station House Officer Dharmendra Singh reached the spot with a police team and supervised the rescue operation. With the assistance of villagers, police arranged a tractor to retrieve the vehicle from the drain. Further inquiry into the incident is underway.
