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A 27-year-old software engineer died after his SUV broke through a damaged boundary wall and plunged into a water-filled pit dug for a commercial project in Noida’s Sector 150 around midnight on Friday, according to a report by The Times of India.

The victim, identified as Yuvraj Mehta, was returning home from work when the accident occurred. Police said dense fog and the absence of streetlights caused him to miss a sharp turn near a construction site close to ATS Le Gradiose, sending his vehicle into a flooded excavation.

Mehta, who worked with customer data science firm Dunnhumby India in Gurgaon, was unable to swim. After escaping from his Grand Vitara, he climbed onto the roof of the vehicle and repeatedly called his father for help, switching on his phone’s flashlight in an attempt to draw attention.

His father, Raj Mehta, and police personnel reached the area within minutes of receiving the distress calls. However, thick fog hampered visibility, and while Mehta’s voice could be heard, rescuers were unable to locate him immediately.

A passerby, identified as Moninder, jumped into the cold water in an attempt to save him but was unsuccessful. He told the newspaper that Mehta was pleading continuously for help. A friend of the victim, Pankaj Tokas, alleged that police officers who arrived early at the scene did not enter the water as they could not swim, and that rescue equipment arrived too late.

Emergency services were alerted, with the fire department and disaster response teams called in. Sources cited by The Times of India said the State Disaster Response Force reached the site first but lacked the necessary equipment.

A National Disaster Response Force team was later dispatched from Ghaziabad, taking about an hour to arrive.

By around 1:45 am, Mehta’s calls and cries for help stopped. His body was recovered from the pit at about 4:30 am, several hours after the vehicle had fallen in.

The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, and authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, including safety measures at the construction site and the response time of emergency services.