Two feared swept away as car plunges into canal in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr

Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh: A car plunged into a canal in which two occupants are feared to have been swept away by strong current, police said on Thursday.

The vehicle which fell into the canal late on Wednesday has been fished out, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been called in to assist with the search, police said.

The incident occurred when a Swift car went out of control and fell into the Walipura Canal. Upon receiving information, police and administrative teams reached the scene and used cranes and other machines to pull the car out of the canal.

Police said initial reports suggest two individuals -- Arpit and his friend Aniruddh, both are residents of Anand Vihar Colony in Bulandshahr -- were in the car at the time of the incident.

Talking to reporters, Additional District Magistrate Abhishek Kumar Singh said, "We received information about a car falling into the Walipura Canal around 10 pm on Wednesday. A rescue operation was launched immediately. The car has been pulled out, but no occupants were found inside. Families of the missing individuals have been informed, who confirmed the identities of Arpit and Aniruddh as the likely occupants."

"Efforts are underway to locate the two individuals. Given the strong current in the water, there is a possibility that they may have been swept away. The NDRF has been alerted to aid in the rescue operation," Singh added.

The authorities are yet to determine how many people were in the car at the time of the accident, he said.