Kanpur: A truck carrying sacks of maida plunged into the Ganga after crashing through the iron railing of Mehndi Ghat bridge in Kannauj in the early hours of Sunday, leaving one person missing and two others seriously injured. Police suspect the driver may have dozed off before losing control of the vehicle. A massive search operation involving police, divers and the local administration continued for hours to trace the missing occupant.Three people were travelling in the truck when the accident occurred. Police rushed to the spot and, with the help of local divers, rescued two occupants from the river in an injured condition, while the search for the third person continued.The injured were identified as Shravan Kumar (36), a resident of Gurauli in Hardoi’s Bilgram area, and Sangeet Kumar (44), a resident of Sahar under Bela police station in Auraiya district. Both were initially taken to the district hospital and later referred to the Government Medical College in Tirwa for advanced treatment.Police said the truck was transporting sacks of maida from Hardoi to Auraiya when it met with the accident.Circle Officer (City) Shilpa Verma reached the spot and reviewed the rescue operation. Despite continuous efforts by police, divers and the local administration for over five hours, the third occupant could not be traced. Rescue teams kept searching around the spot where the truck sank, and officials said the operation would continue until the missing person was found.The CO said preliminary investigation suggested the truck was carrying a large consignment of maida from Hardoi to Auraiya. Police suspect the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, though all possible angles are being investigated.
