Search operation underway to locate man who fell into stormwater drain in Puducherry

A man has gone missing after he reportedly fell into a stormwater drain and was swept away by strong currents at Thattanchavady in Puducherry as heavy rains lashed the Union Territory (UT) on Friday night. Search operation is underway.

A man has gone missing after he reportedly fell into a stormwater drain and was swept away by strong currents at Thattanchavady in Puducherry as heavy rains lashed the Union Territory (UT) on the night of Friday (August 9, 2024).

Fire services personnel and the police conducted search operations with the help of local residents all night to locate Ayyappan, a resident of Subbiah Nagar in Thattanchavady, who fell into the Jeevanandapuram drain with his friend Chandru. The duo was trying to recover their bike that was trapped in the drain.

While local residents were able to pull Chandru out of the water, they could not find Ayyappan because of the heavy flow of rainwater into the channel, the police said.

District Collector A. Kulothungan said the search for Ayyappan would continue. The Thattanchavady region recorded around 8 mm of rainfall from 9.30 pm to 11 pm on Friday night, he said.

Municipal authorities said waterlogging was reported in Krishna Nagar, Venkata Nagar, Chellan Nagar, and adjoining areas in the UT. The rains also inundated the busy Indira Gandhi Square and other parts of the town. Water in these areas receded shortly after the rains subsided, a Pondicherry Municipality official said.