New Delhi: Delhi on Monday woke up to incessant overnight rains having received 70 mm rain till 8.30 am that caused waterlogging in several parts of the city. Two separate incidents of death by drowning were reported in the national capital.
First, of a 27-year-old man who drowned while allegedly clicking selfies and filming a waterlogged railway underpass in southeast Delhi's Pul Prahladpur area. Second, a nine-year-old boy drowned in a pond near his home in Outer Delhi's Metro Vihar.
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Waterlogging was also reported on many road stretches, including ITO, Ring Road, and Mathura Road, Pul Prahladpur underpass, Ring Road, areas near Pragati Maidan, Palam, Kirari, Rohtak Road, and Dhaula Kuan.
Ravi Chautala of Jaitpur worked at an Export House in Okhla, police said according to PTI, adding the street where he was standing was waterlogged due to heavy rain since Sunday night. The police suspect that the man might have slipped and drowned. People told police that Chautala had gone in the waterlogged underpass to click selfies and make videos. Chautala lived with his family at Pul Prahladpur and had come out while it was raining. During enquiry, locals told police that he was trying to click selfies and shoot videos of the waterlogged spot.
''Information was received about the drowning of a person below railway underpass Pul Prahladpur. Fire brigade and divers were called in to rescue him but later his body was recovered,'' Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) R P Meena told PTI.
He is survived by six siblings, including three brothers and three sisters, his wife, and their 10-month-old baby girl, police said, adding inquest proceedings are being conducted.
In the other tragic incident, a 9-year-old Govind had gone to the fields to attend nature's call when he allegedly slipped, fell into the pond which had swelled due to incessant rain, and likely drowned. Neighbours later spotted his body in the pond near the field which was also waterlogged due to heavy rains.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Rajiv Ranjan Singh told PTI, "The boy lived in Metro Vihar, Holambi Kala area and drowned in a drain. Locals and family members took him to Jai Singh hospital where the doctors declared him dead".
During enquiry, Govind's father Mahipal told the police that his son left the house in the morning to attend nature's call and did not return. Family and others searched for him for hours and later neighbours found his body near a field, a senior police officer said.