Two HDFC bank employees drown after SUV gets trapped in flooded Faridabad underpass
PTC Web Desk: Two private bank employees died after their sports utility vehicle (SUV) became submerged in the flooded old Faridabad Railway underpass amid heavy rainfall on Friday, according to the Haryana Police. The victims have been identified as Punyashray Sharma (48) and Viraj Dwivedi (260. They worked at HDFC Bank in Gurugram’s Sector 31. Sharma worked as a branch manager while Dwivedi was employed as a cashier at the same branch. Both were residents of Greater Faridabad and were returning home from Gurugram when the incident occurred.
The old Faridabad Railway underpass had become heavily inundated due to the relentless downpour on Friday. Warnings had been issued advising vehicles not to enter the underpass due to the rising water levels. However, the duo, failing to gauge the severity of the situation, drove into the flooded area in their SUV, an XUV 700.
At around 11.50 pm, despite warnings, the vehicle entered the underpass and quickly became stuck in the deep floodwaters. As water began to rapidly fill the vehicle, both Sharma and Dwivedi attempted to escape the SUV and swim to safety. Unfortunately, their efforts proved futile, and they drowned in the rising floodwaters. Passers-by reportedly tried to assist the duo, managing to pull them out of the car after considerable effort, but Viraj Dwivedi died.
The police responded after being alerted that the SUV had become trapped in the flooded underpass. Punyashray Sharma’s body was pulled from the vehicle, while a long search operation was carried out for Viraj Dwivedi. Dwivedi’s body was finally recovered at 4 am on Saturday.
Following the incident, Sharma was rushed to the Badshah Khan Civil Hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. Inspector Samer Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of the NIT Faridabad police station, confirmed the deaths and said, “Their families have been informed, and the bodies will be handed over to the next of kin after the post-mortem examinations are completed.”
- With inputs from agencies
