PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Haldwani
Four persons of a family, including a four-day-old baby, died and three others sustained serious injuries after the car they were travelling in fell into a canal amid heavy rains in Haldwani on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred near the Fire Brigade office, where the vehicle lost control and plunged into an irrigation canal flowing behind the building.
The accident took place as the family was returning home to Kichha in Udham Singh Nagar district from Sushila Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani after the newborn’s mother was discharged late Tuesday night. The officials informed that Rakesh Rathore, a resident of Kichha, had stayed overnight at the hospital with his wife Rama Devi and other relatives after she delivered their son on June 22 at 7:50 PM. The family had been overjoyed at the birth of their third child and first son after two daughters. However, when they were returning home on Wednesday morning, their car, carrying seven people including Rakesh, his wife, their newborn son, his mother Kamla Devi, sister-in-law Neetu, a brother and the driver, veered off the road near a sharp turn and fell into the fast-flowing canal.
According to eyewitnesses, the car overturned due to the force of the water and got stuck near a culvert. Water quickly filled the vehicle, leaving the occupants trapped inside with no time to escape. Rescue operations were launched immediately by local police and fire brigade teams, who managed to retrieve the submerged car. However, Rakesh, Kamla, Neetu and the newborn had already lost their lives by then. The injured, Rama Devi, Rakesh’s brother and the driver were rushed to Sushila Tiwari Hospital in critical condition where their health is stable now, as per the officials. Family members were devastated, recalling how the birth of the son had brought immense joy after years of longing. “We were celebrating. None of us imagined that joy would turn into mourning so suddenly,” said a relative. Local residents blamed the administration for the accident, claiming that the turn where the car fell is notoriously dangerous and has been the site of multiple accidents in the past.
They said that they had repeatedly warned officials through written complaints and demanded that the canal be covered or a protective wall built but no action was taken. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the incident and offered his condolences to the bereaved family, praying for peace for the departed souls and strength to those left behind. The cabinet minister Rekha Arya visited the hospital to meet the injured and directed the hospital administration to provide all possible facilities to them.
