A woman doctor in Krishnagiri district drowned in a freak mishap after her car got stuck in a subway filled with rainwater, at Thudaiyur in Pudukkottai on Friday night.
The railway subway between Poomadimalai and Thudaiyur is over 100 metres long and remains a nightmare for motorists during the rains. The drainage system inside the subway often gets blocked and water stagnates after heavy rain. Railway staff use pumps to bale out the stagnant water.
On Friday night, rain lashed the area for over an hour and the subway was filled with rainwater.
A police official investigating the case said, "Sathiya (35) was driving her car with her mother-in-law Jeyam in the back seat and they were on their way home. Seeing a lorry going through the subway, Sathiya also tried entered the subway hoping to drive through it. However, the car got stuck when she reached the middle part and the engine stopped. Water started entering the vehicle and the doors got jammed, making it impossible for the occupants to come out. Before drowning, a panicking Sathiya called her husband over mobile phone, seeking help. A couple of persons coming in a lorry behind the car jumped in to rescue the women. Though they managed to open the window and pull out Jeyam, it was difficult to rescue Sathiya as her seat belt was also jammed, and she drowned."
The two women were rushed to Pudukkottai Government Hospital, where Sathiya, a government doctor, was declared dead. Jeyam is in a critical condition.
The news about Sathiya's death created tension among residents of Thudaiyur, who staged a protest urging the district administration and railways to ensure that no more tragedies happen in the subway.