Cab driver drives into overflowing lake in Thane; rescued by

A cab driver who took a passenger from Chembur to Diva in Thane on Monday night through heavy downpour drove straight into the Phadke Pada lake which was swollen due to heavy rain and the water was flowing on the road, making it invisible for motorists; he was rescued by the locals while the can was fished out later

A cab driver who took a passenger from Chembur to Diva in Thane on Monday night through heavy downpour was in for a nightmare. Not only did he take three-and-a-half hours to reach his destination but also he drove straight into the Phadke Pada lake which was swollen due to heavy rain and the water was flowing on the road, making it invisible for motorists.

Locals pulling out the cab that drowned in a lake in Thane. The cab driver drove into the lake as he was new to the area and the lake was overflowing into the road. He was rescued by the locals. (HT PHOTO)

Luck was, however, on the side of the driver, Yusuf Pathan, 28, as he was pulled out of the sinking car in time by the locals who saw the car falling into the lake.

Getting the car out of the eight-to-ten feet deep lake, though, was a Herculean task for the locals and the fire brigade officials.

Pathan works with Raza enterprises as a driver and was tasked with driving one of the clients to Diva. Pathan, whose mobile phone was damaged and spoke over landline, said, “I was new to the area and used the map to find my way home. It was raining heavily and the road connecting Shil Phata was waterlogged. I could see farmland on the right side of the road going towards Thane. However, there was only water on the left side. I was unaware that there was a lake there.”

He said that when he tried to go a little towards left, he lost control of his car as it fell into the lake. “I tried to reverse but it was merely sinking and I started calling for help. I opened the windows but was not able to get out. Some locals came and pulled me out. I still don’t believe that I survived. The car, however, sank to the bottom of the lake.”

Hemant Patil, 39, a villager of Khardi was driving closely behind him and saw that his car was drowning. He informed Hira Patil, the former NCP corporator from the area who resided merely 100m from the lake. Both of them gathered youngsters from the village and rushed to the spot.

Patil said, “I was shocked to see the car sinking in the lake. When it was almost two feet in, we reached and pulled the driver. His phone and wallet were inside the car. However, we could not retrieve it before the car sank. Moreover, it was raining and there was no light. We all started the headlights of our cars to ensure that we could see the lake and a part of the road. Pathan was so scared that he did not utter a word for over half-an-hour and we were clueless who he was or how he drove in the lake.”

Locals said that they had time and again demanded barricades along the lake. However, the demand was never met.

The locals failed to pull the car and then called the fire officials. Fire officer, Swapnil Sarnobat, said, “The car was stuck eight to ten feet deep inside the lake. The driver would not have survived had the locals not helped him. The doors were jammed. We tied a rope to our rescue vehicle and seven of our rescuers entered the water and tied the ropes to the car. We pulled it out with a rope. It took us one-and-a-half hours due to heavy rain. However, we managed to remove it.”