Body found in waterlogged underpass at Delhi's Pul Prahladpur; rain toll rises to 3
NEW DELHI: The body of a man has been fished out from a waterlogged railway underpass in southeast Delhi’s Pul Prahladpur, police said, taking the death toll in Monday’s thunderstorm and heavy rain in the city to three.
Winds of up to 100 kmph and heavy rains battered the national capital on Monday evening, uprooting hundreds of trees, disrupting road and air traffic and damaging vehicles and buildings, including the iconic Jama Masjid.
DCP (Southeast) Esha Pandey on Tuesday said, “Around 10:22 pm on Monday, a call was received at the Pul Prahladpur police station about a person drowning in the waterlogged railway underpass.” After searching the underpass for half-an-hour, divers from a rescue team fished out a man’s body, aged around 45-50 years and ‘Kiran I Love u’ tattooed on his right hand, she said.
Efforts are on to identify him, the DCP said. Barricades had been installed near the railway underpass to restrict any movement by people or vehicles, the police said, adding that the body has been kept at the AIIMS mortuary for an autopsy.
Monday’s storm was the first one of “severe” intensity in Delhi since 2018, an IMD official said.
A 50-year-old man died near Jama Masjid in central Delhi after a portion of a balcony of his neighbour’s house fell on him during the strong winds when he was standing outside his residence. In Angoori Bagh of north Delhi, a 65-year-old homeless man identified as Basir Baba died after a Peepal tree fell on him.
L-G assures quick redressal
A day after several trees were uprooted due to heavy winds, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Tuesday asked the agencies concerned to assess the causes for their toppling to ensure such incidents do not recur, a statement said. He said the government has taken a serious note of the incidents.
Pul Prahladpur underpass cleared
Traffic on the Mehrauli-Badarpur stretch was restored on Tuesday after authorities cleared the Pul Prahladpur underpass which was waterlogged following heavy rains in the capital, officials said. Traffic on the stretch was stopped on Monday evening. PWD officials said water has been cleared.