A woman who fell into the Hussainsagar overflow drain early on Friday evening spent the night in the murky water with her life hanging in the balance. The next day, she was rescued by personnel of the Disaster Response Force under the Disaster Response and Property Protection Agency, Hyderabad.
The woman, named Indira, is a resident of Bhagyanagar Colony in Golnaka. She went missing on Friday evening, around 8 p.m., and her whereabouts were unknown all night.
After 10 a.m. Saturday morning, passers-by heard faint cries for help and spotted the woman hanging from a branch 15 feet down in the canal. They immediately called the HYDRAA hotline for help.
“As soon as we got the complaint, we rushed to the spot and assessed the situation. We also informed the fire department and got their help,” informed P. Swamy, in charge of rescue operations at HYDRAA.
After falling into the drain, the woman was dragged by the current for some distance before she caught hold of a tree branch. She clung to the branch all night and no one heard her cry for help because the place was very steep and covered with vegetation.
“The rescue was also challenging. We used a ladder, but due to exposure to contaminated water at night, her legs became numb and she could not move at all. We literally had to carry her up the ladder,” said Mr. Swamy.
Mrs. Indira was in shock after the rescue and could not remember how she fell into the drain. Mr Swamy said she was not found drunk or under the influence of any substance at the time of rescue. She suffered no injuries and was sent home to her family after being rescued.
Five persons from the DRF, including Mr. Swamy, and three from the fire service participated in the intervention. This is the second major rescue operation led by Mr. Swamy, who earlier brought to safety nine engineers and laborers who were stranded on a boat in the middle of the Mir Alam tank after the boat’s engine failed.
Published – 09 May 2026 23:54 IST
