Delhi-NCR rain: Two bank employees drown in Faridabad after SUV stuck in submerged underpass

As very heavy rainfall wreaked havoc in Delhi-NCR on Friday, two people, a bank manager and a cashier died after their SUV was trapped in a submerged underpass in Old Faridabad around 11:30 PM. 

The underpass was heavily flooded due to extreme rainfall that affected various parts of Delhi-NCR. The deceased were employees of HDFC Bank's Gurugram branch and were en route to Faridabad. According to a colleague, the cashier was driving the bank manager home to Omaxe City in Greater Faridabad when the incident took place. 

One of their other colleagues disclosed that there were no visible barricades at the underpass, leading the victims to attempt navigating through the waterlogged area. Unfortunately, their vehicle got stuck in the floodwaters, ultimately resulting in their deaths. 

Concerns arose when the bank manager's wife reached out for assistance upon discovering his phone had been turned off. Upon arrival at the scene, police informed her of the tragic outcome. The colleague voiced disappointment, suggesting the incident might have been preventable had the police implemented proper barricades to alert drivers about the submerged underpass.

However, a police official disputed this claim, asserting that barricades were indeed in place and that warnings had been issued to drivers cautioning against entering the underpass.

Sub-Inspector Rajesh reported, “The two removed the barricades and insisted on going through the underpass. Water flooded their vehicle after it became stuck, leading to their deaths. We will determine if intoxication was a factor following the postmortem.”

The police official emphasised the importance of adhering to safety guidelines and urged the public to respect police warnings during adverse weather conditions. 

On the same day, an orange alert was issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) following heavy rainfall across Delhi-NCR, with predictions of continued rain into the weekend affecting the national capital, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.