In a heartbreaking incident that took place in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, a radio executive lost her life when her car plunged into an open drain along the road. Tania Khanna, said to be an employee of Radio Mirchi, was driving a Verna when the car fell into the eight-foot-wide drain near a sharp turn Wednesday, May 2, around 1.30 am.
The drain was reportedly filled with water and the bumper of the car Khanna was driving hit the bed of the drain. On impact, the windshield of the car broke due to which the drain water gushed into the car. Khanna tried to get out of the car through the back seat doors, but couldn't as the doors had gotten locked.
The autopsy report has stated the cause of the death as drowning.
Speaking of the incident, a police official said that Khanna was following her friend's car. "When they approached the Sector 85 roundabout, her friend drove on but Tania appears to have lost her way. She went too far to the left, went over the footpath and fell into the drain near Om Sai Nursery," the Times of India quoted a police official as saying.
When her friend noticed that Khanna wasn't following the car anymore, he is said to have turned around to look for her and found that her car had crashed into the drain.
The Verna was then pulled out by a crane and the 28-year-old was rushed to the hospital. However, she was declared brought dead. A case of accidental death has now been registered and the police are probing the matter.
Family blames negligence of civic officials
The radio executive's near and dear ones are said to be in a state of shock. "We got information about her accident very late. We rushed to the hospital in Noida where she was admitted," TOI quoted her father Lalit Khanna as saying.
Her brother Kunal said that his sister had lost her life due to the negligence of the civic bodies. "Such a huge drain has been left uncovered and there is no proper mechanism of streets lights in the area. There is also no CCTV camera installed there. We are shattered," he explained.
Radio Mirchi speaks about its "star"
Calling her "a vivacious, ambitious and loved colleague," the radio station said that she was a part of Mirchi's sales team in Delhi and the "tragedy has left a huge hole in all our hearts."
We are Mourning the tragic death of Tania Khanna, senior sales manager at mirchi, in a car accident. She was vivacious, ambitious and a loved colleague, who will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.
— RadioMirchi (@RadioMirchi) May 2, 2018