Four Friends of Prayagraj Drown as Scorpio Plunges into Pond in neighbouring Fatehpur district
PRAYAGRAJ: A tragic road accident in the early hours of Wednesday near Barauri Toll Plaza in Fatehpur claimed the lives of four friends from Prayagraj.
The speeding Scorpio they were traveling in lost control and plunged into a deep roadside pond after the driver reportedly dozed off.
All nine passengers were submerged underwater, but five of them managed to break the car’s window and escape. Unfortunately, four young men drowned before help could reach them.
Police teams rushed to the spot immediately after receiving the alert and used a crane to pull the vehicle out of the water.
The bodies were recovered and sent to their families in Prayagraj. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and directed local officials to ensure proper rescue and relief operations.
The victims, all residents of the Khuldabad area of Prayagraj, were returning from a wedding in Kanpur.
The groom, Gautam Pal, a resident of Lakdi Mandi in Khuldabad, had tied the knot at a dharamshala near Kanpur’s Motijheel on Tuesday. After the ceremony, nine friends began their journey back home in a Scorpio during the night.
Those traveling in the vehicle were identified as Neeraj Pal (30), Ritesh alias Nanki Sonkar (32), Shivam Sahu (26), Rahul Keserwani (22), Sahil Gupta (21), Rahul Gupta (24), Amit Kumar Vishwakarma (30), Sumit Singh (22), and Mahesh Keserwani (32).
Around 4:30 a.m., before the Barauri Toll Plaza, the Scorpio veered off the highway and crashed into a deep pond.
The impact was severe enough to submerge the entire vehicle instantly.
Driver Rahul, along with Neeraj, Mahesh Keserwani, Amit, and Sumit, somehow shattered the windshield and climbed onto the vehicle’s roof, screaming for help.
Villagers nearby heard their cries and alerted the police. By the time a crane lifted the Scorpio out, it was too late—Ritesh alias Nanki, Shivam Sahu, Rahul Keserwani, and Sahil Gupta had drowned.
The five survivors sustained minor injuries and were treated at Gopalganj PHC before being discharged.
ASP Mahendra Pal Singh confirmed that the Scorpio went out of control, likely because the driver fell asleep. Four lives were lost to drowning, while five others were rescued safely.
Shock and Mourning in Prayagraj’s Lakdi Mandi
The news of the accident sent shockwaves through the Lakdi Mandi neighborhood in Khuldabad, turning what was a joyous wedding celebration into heart-wrenching mourning.
Throughout the day, the area remained steeped in grief. As the bodies of the four victims arrived late at night, wails of sorrow echoed through the narrow lanes.
Residents gathered in large numbers, offering condolences to the bereaved families. The same community that had sent off a cheerful wedding procession just a day earlier now faced an unimaginable tragedy.
A Community in Tears
The deceased were identified as Rahul Keserwani, Sahil alias Shubham Gupta, Ritesh Sonkar alias Nanki, and Shivam Sahu.
Their deaths left families devastated. Many rushed to Fatehpur to retrieve the bodies, while women and children back home were inconsolable.
Twenty-one-year-old Shubham alias Sahil Gupta was the only brother to two sisters, Mahak and Durga. His father, Santosh Gupta, sells vegetables for a living. His mother, Kavita, was seen wailing uncontrollably, clutching his photograph.
Twenty-two-year-old Rahul Keserwani, who worked as a halwai (sweet maker), was the eldest of five brothers. His parents, Pappu and Anita Keserwani, fainted upon seeing his body.
In the nearby New Basti Gangaganj, grief enveloped the home of 32-year-old Ritesh Sonkar alias Nanki, who left behind four young children.
His widowed mother, Rita Sonkar, sobbed as she recalled how Ritesh had been the family’s sole breadwinner after his father Om Prakash’s death. His elder brother, Jitendra, is mentally challenged, and both his sisters are married.
Twenty-six-year-old Shivam Sahu, who earlier lived with his family in a rented house in Lakdi Mandi before moving to Andawa, also lost his life in the mishap.
For these families, the accident has left an unfilled void—extinguishing the light in some homes and shattering the future of others.
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