5 killed as car returning from wedding plunges into canal in Lakhimpur Kheri

According to initial reports, the car’s doors had locked automatically, trapping the passengers inside as the vehicle sank

Five people from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich were killed while two others were critically injured after a car returning from a wedding ceremony fell into the Sharda Canal in Lakhimpur Kheri post Tuesday midnight, police said on Wednesday.

All seven occupants were rushed to CHC Ramiya Behar, where doctors declared five of them dead on arrival. (Representative file photo)

The incident occurred around 1am near Paras Purwa village on the Dhekherwa–Girjapuri Highway.

According to initial reports, the car’s doors had locked automatically, trapping the passengers inside as the vehicle sank. Hearing the loud splash and cries for help, local residents rushed to the spot. By the time they reached, the car had already submerged.

Villagers immediately informed the police and, using torchlight, entered the canal with a boat. They tied a rope to the vehicle and managed to pull it out. When they found the doors jammed, they broke the window glass with a brick and pulled the passengers out.

Local residents, who were among the first to reach the canal, informed the police team that they were asleep when they heard the sound of the car plunging into the water and people screaming.

“By the time we reached, the car was sinking and the occupants were struggling inside,” they recounted.

Sub-inspector Abhishek Singh from Padhua police station took stock of the situation at the accident site.

Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the vehicle losing control and falling into the canal.