Patna: A junior engineer and a staff member of the North Bihar Power Distribution Company Ltd (NBPDCL) were killed after their car plunged into a canal in Muzaffarpur district in the early hours of Friday.The incident occurred when the car, driven by the junior engineer, lost control, crashed through the railing of a bridge and fell into the canal below. The vehicle remained submerged in the water overnight and, despite attempts to escape, both occupants died of asphyxiation as water pressure prevented them from opening the car doors. The bodies were recovered after a rescue operation was launched following information from villagers.The deceased were identified as junior engineer Sunny Kumar (28) and Md Afzal (35). Both were residents of the Mithanpura locality in Muzaffarpur town. The car fell into the Vaishali canal near Ekma Chowk under the Deoria police station area.Eyewitnesses said the car broke through the bridge railing and plunged into the canal, which is deep and has poor visibility. Due to the water pressure, the occupants were unable to come out of the vehicle, leading to suffocation and death. Local residents spotted the submerged car on Friday morning and alerted the police, following which a rescue operation was carried out with the help of a crane.Deoria station house officer Manoj Kumar Sah said, “The car was retrieved from the canal, and the bodies of Sunny and Afzal were found inside. Preliminary investigations suggest that over-speeding might have been the cause of the accident. The police are examining various factors, including vehicle speed, road conditions and lighting on the bridge.”Sunny, the youngest of three brothers, was scheduled to get married in March.
