Tragic Accident Claims Young Engineer's Life in Noida
A 27-year-old software engineer lost his life in a heartbreaking accident in Noida's Sector 150. Yuvraj Mehta drowned after his SUV crashed through a damaged boundary wall and plunged into a flooded construction pit around midnight on Friday.
Desperate Struggle for Survival
Yuvraj Mehta did not know how to swim. When his Grand Vitara SUV fell into the deep water, he managed to escape the vehicle and climb onto its roof. From this precarious position, he called his father and repeatedly flashed his phone's torch through the thick fog. He hoped rescuers would hear his cries and spot the light.
The young engineer worked with customer data science company Dunnhumby India in Gurgaon. He was returning home to Tata Eureka Park in Sector 150 when the accident occurred. As he negotiated a sharp turn near ATS Le Grandiose, poor visibility due to dense fog and the absence of proper lighting or reflective boards at the construction site prevented him from seeing the danger ahead.
Failed Rescue Attempts
Yuvraj's father Raj Mehta and police reached the spot within minutes. They could hear Yuvraj screaming for help but could not see him through the thick fog. A passerby named Moninder bravely jumped into the freezing water to search for the trapped engineer. He spent about thirty minutes in the water but could not locate Yuvraj.
"Yuvraj kept pleading for help," Moninder said later. Yuvraj's friend Pankaj Tokas described the harrowing scene. "He was screaming at the top of his voice for help while standing on the car roof. The cops who went initially said they could not swim. Cranes were called but no one entered the water to save him."
Delayed Response and Final Tragedy
The police team that first arrived called the fire department and disaster response forces. Local divers made initial rescue attempts. Subsequently, SDRF and NDRF teams reached the spot. However, the SDRF team lacked proper equipment for the thirty-foot deep pit. Authorities then called the NDRF from Ghaziabad, which took another hour to arrive.
By 1:45 AM, the voice calling for help had fallen silent. Yuvraj's loved ones stood helplessly at the edge of the pit. Rescue teams finally recovered his body around 4:30 AM, four hours after the accident. According to sources, Yuvraj gradually lost strength and drowned when the vehicle sank, leaving him with nothing to hold onto.
Systemic Failures and Previous Warnings
A senior official involved in the rescue operation said fog made the search almost blind. "We could only see a thin ray of light, likely from his phone," he explained. Another official noted that rescue teams used torches and flashlights but could not see even ten metres through the dense fog.
Raj Mehta, a retired SBI director, alleged that the spot had long been hazardous. He claimed repeated warnings to Noida Authority had gone unheeded. "Yes, visibility was extremely low due to fog. But had the boundary wall not been damaged, the car may not have plunged into the drain," he stated.
Residents revealed that a similar accident occurred about ten days earlier when a truck driver hit the same drain wall. That driver was saved just in time. "No repair work was done even after that. The Vitara ploughed through the same broken wall. The incident could have been avoided," a resident emphasized.
Personal Tragedy
Yuvraj Mehta lived with his father in Sector 150. He had lost his mother two years earlier and served as the family's sole earning member. His elder sister is married and settled in the United Kingdom. The tragic incident has left the family devastated and raised serious questions about safety measures at construction sites in the city.
