Car falls into river in Pune; 1 swims to safety, two missing

Two people were feared drowned in the swollen Indrayani river, while one managed to swim to safety after a car they were traveling in fell into the river from a bridge near here on Thursday, police said.

According to the Wadgaon Maval police, the speeding car first crashed into the bridge's railings and then plunged into the river near Takave village, 50km from here, at around 1 pm.

"A team of the NDRF along with police and a local group have launched an operation to find the two missing persons," said a police officer.

Three people, all in their early 20s, were traveling in the car, he said.

"It crashed into the railings of the bridge and fell into the swollen river. While one person, identified as Akshay Dhage, swam to safely after coming out of the car by opening its door, the two others - Sanket Aswale and Akshay Jagtap - were swept away in the river with the SUV," he added.

The officer said it is suspected that the driver lost control over the vehicle.