'We could see only a thin ray of light': Noida techie’s final struggle in abandoned pit

NOIDA: Trapped successful a flooded pit connected a fog-choked night, 27-year-old bundle technologist Yuvraj Mehta fought for astir 90 minutes to enactment live — climbing onto the extortion of his sinking SUV, calling his father, sharing his location, and flashing his phone’s torch again and again done the mist successful a hopeless bid to beryllium seen.

Those astatine the borderline of the pit could perceive his cries, but successful near-zero visibility, they could lone marque retired “a bladed ray of light” earlier his dependable yet fell silent. The mishap occurred astir 12.30am successful Sector 150 erstwhile Mehta, who worked with lawsuit information subject institution Dunnhumby India successful Gurgaon, was connected his mode location erstwhile his Grand Vitara smashed done a damaged bound partition and plunged into a water-filled excavation dug for a commercialized task adjacent ATS Le Grandiose. With nary barricading, reflectors oregon informing lights astatine the site, the pit — astir 30 feet heavy — was virtually invisible successful dense fog. Mehta, who did not cognize however to swim, managed to get retired of the conveyance and clamber onto its extortion arsenic it dilatory sank. Within minutes, his begetter Raj Mehta, a retired SBI manager who lives successful the aforesaid sector, reached the spot aft receiving his son’s telephone and WhatsApp location. Police and exigency services were alerted, but rescuers struggled to find him successful the darkness.

Ropes were thrown, a crane was brought in, and ladders were tried — each falling abbreviated of reaching him successful time. A passerby, Moninder, adjacent jumped into the freezing h2o and searched for astir fractional an hour, but could not find Mehta successful the murk. Rescue teams cited heavy fog, utmost acold and the extent of the pit arsenic large hurdles. SDRF unit reached archetypal but lacked instrumentality for specified a heavy rescue; the NDRF was aboriginal called successful from Ghaziabad, losing important time.

By astir 1.45am, the cries stopped. Mehta’s assemblage was recovered astatine astir 4.30am, astir 4 hours aft the crash. Residents said the excavation had been near unfastened for astir 2 years and had already seen a akin mishap days earlier, with nary corrective enactment taken. Police said the tract had turned into a lethal hazard, particularly during wintertime fog. Following the incident, an FIR was registered against 2 builders — MZ Wishtown Planners Pvt Ltd and Lotus Greens Construction Pvt Ltd — nether BNS sections related to culpable homicide, causing decease by negligence, and acts endangering life. Police said they would besides instrumentality up the substance with the Noida Authority to code information lapses crossed the area. Mehta, who worked with Dunnhumby India successful Gurgaon, lived with his begetter successful Sector 150. He had mislaid his parent 2 years agone and was the family’s sole earning member.