Seven children feared drowned after van falls into canal in UP

At least seven children were feared drowned after a pick-up van fell into the Indira canal in Nagram area here, district officials said Thursday.

The van carrying 29 people, who were returning from a marriage ceremony in neighbouring Barabanki district, fell into the canal late Wednesday night, Lucknow District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said, adding that 22 of them have been rescued.

“As many as seven children, all in the age-group of 5-10 years, are missing. They might have been washed away to a significant distance as the flow of the water in the canal is rather high…rescue operations are on,” Sharma said.

He said that divers have been engaged to search the missing children.

About the possible cause of the accident, the DM said the vehicle has been fished out and a technical examination will establish the actual reason of the accident.

“Whether the driver was in an inebriated state not known, as of now he is at the accident spot and has helped in rescuing the passengers,” Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed senior police officials and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF to speed up the rescue operations, a statement issued by the UP Government said.