On Way Home From Work, Delhi Teen Falls Into Overflowing Drain, Swept Away

For 18-year-old Ankit, Friday evening was supposed to end like any other workday. After finishing his shift at a company in Noida, he was on his way back home to his family in South East Delhi. But amid the heavy rain that battered Delhi and the National Capital Region, the journey took a tragic turn when he slipped and fell into an overflowing drain.

Nearly a day later, he remains untraced, as search teams continue efforts to find him.

The incident occurred around 8 pm on Friday in the Priyanka Camp area under the Sarita Vihar police station limits.

According to family members and local residents, Ankit, the elder son of his parents' two children, was returning home from work when he reached an open drain near a bridge in Sarita Vihar. The drain, residents said, is usually not very deep, but the torrential rain had caused water to flow at great speed.

Delhi: An 18-year-old youth, identified as Ankit, was swept away in a drain in the Priyanka Camp area under Sarita Vihar Police Station during heavy rain on Friday evening. He is yet to be traced. His father has appealed to the administration to find his son, who is the elder of… pic.twitter.com/BzeUGxfLl8

— IANS (@ians_india) August 8, 2026

Witnesses said several people present at the spot tried to stop Ankit from attempting to cross near the bridge. However, he was in a hurry to get home and decided to jump across from the side of the structure to save time.

During the attempt, he lost his footing and fell into the drain.

Residents said the current was so strong that within moments he was swept away, leaving onlookers unable to see where he had gone.

Father Appeals For Help

Ankit's father, Sunil, said he immediately dialled 100 after receiving information about the incident. Police personnel and divers reached the spot on Friday night, but the search could not continue because of darkness.

He said officials informed the family that search operations would resume the following morning.

More than 12 hours after the incident, teams, including NDRF personnel and divers, continued looking for Ankit. However, no trace of him had been found till the time of reporting.

Sunil has appealed to the administration to intensify efforts to locate his son.

Family members said Ankit worked as a pantry worker at A1 Silverstein Service Measurement in Sector 62, Noida.

He had completed his day's work and was returning home when he slipped near the drain and fell into the water.

Safety Concerns

The tragedy has once again raised questions over safety measures around open drains in the area.

Bhagwan Jha, the Up-Pradhan of the colony, said locals had repeatedly raised the issue of the open drain with authorities but no action had been taken.

Jha, who said he was present when the accident happened, recalled that nobody could help Ankit once he fell into the fast-moving water.

"I was there when Ankit fell into the drain. I was holding his bag and phone. He was attempting to cross the bridge. Nobody could have done anything at that time," he said.

Rain Fury Across Delhi-NCR

The incident came as torrential rain lashed Delhi and the National Capital Region on Friday, causing widespread waterlogging, traffic congestion and emergency situations in several areas.

Some of the worst flooding was reported on South Delhi's MB Road near the Air Force Station, where water levels reportedly rose to nearly four feet, leaving vehicles stranded and severely disrupting traffic movement.

Areas including Okhla Mor, Khanpur, Deoli, Ambedkar Nagar and Sangam Vihar also witnessed severe waterlogging. Several motorcycles and autorickshaws reportedly broke down after entering flooded stretches, while Air Force trucks assisted movement in some inundated areas.

The India Meteorological Department said moderate to heavy rainfall was expected to continue through Friday before easing from Saturday, with only light rain likely over the following two days.