Class X student falls into Narmada canal

Vadodara: While trying to make video, a 16-year-old boy fell into Narmada canal near Chhani on Tuesday and is still missing.
According to fire department sources, Arbaz Pathan, a student of Class X and resident of Navayard, had gone to the canal on Tuesday afternoon with his friends. He was recording a video standing on the canal’s bank and accidentally stepped over a slippery surface and lost his balance.He fell into the gushing waters of the canal.
On hearing the sound, Pathan’s friends who were sitting at a distance, rushed towards the bank, but could not see him and alerted the locals who informed the fire brigade.
A team of firemen from Chhani fire station searched for Pathan till late in the evening but could not find him. They had to stop the search due to darkness. On Wednesday morning, firemen from Vadiwadi fire station too joined in the search operation.
“Our teams searched a stretch of 5km from the location where he fell in, but were successful in locating him. We will continue our search on Thursday too,” said fire officer Om Jadeja. He added that the strong water currents in the canal is hampering the search operation.
Sources said that Pathan was appearing in Class X board exams and was to sit for Mathematics exam on Thursday. His father drives an autorickshaw while his mother is a homemaker.
This year, the district administration had banned tourists from venturing around Mahisagar river at Sindhrot and Lanchhanpura villages on Holi after several incidents of drowning have taken place there. However, there is no notification stopping people from going near the canal which passes through the city.