NEW DELHI : At least seven people died in separate incidents, including the death of two children aged 8 and 10 years as heavy rain lashed Delhi early Friday, waterlogging in many areas of the city led to a flood-like situation forcing vehicles to craw amid massive traffic jams.
The first death was reported from the Delhi Airport where a 45-year-old cab driver died after a canopy fell over his parked car.
Probably at the same time i.e. 5.30 am, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received an SOS call that three labourers have been trapped in Vasant Vihar area in a mud slush which probably got created due to heavy rains at the under construction site.
“It was an under-construction site where some labourers were sleeping and ground caved-in due to the rains,” an officer told this newspaper.
He said that divers were sent to enter the muddy and teams of police, NDRF, DDMA, civic agencies also reached the spot to assist in the rescue operation. A massive operation to fish out their bodies was undertaken which was still going on till the time of filing of this report.
In northeast Delhi’s New Usmanpur area, two kids aged 8 and 10 years died after they drowned in a pool of rainwater around 5 pm in the evening.
DCP (Northeast) Joy Tirkey said that rain water had collected in a ditch in the Khadar area at a water depth of about 5 feet near 5th Pushta, New Usmanpur. “Both boys went for a swim in the pool and drowned as the water was deep. Their bodies were fished out and shifted to JPC Hospital where they were declared brought dead,” the DCP said. The bodioes of both the kids have been sent for post-mortem examination.
The seventh death was reported from the Rohini area where a 39-year-old man was electrocuted while on his way to work after coming in contact with electricity wire on a waterlogged road. DCP Rohini GS Sidhu informed that they have registered a case in the matter for death by negligence.
The Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (DDL), which supplies electricity in the area, said the electrocution was caused by a faulty internal wiring issue at a private shop, which caused current to flow through the shop’s tin shed and metal poles. Meanwhile, the the civic agencies and Delhi Police on Friday received over 300 complaints regarding the waterlogging issues from across the national capital.