Vadodara, Gujarat: A 51-year-old man tragically drowned in the Narmada canal on Wednesday morning while trying to rescue his pet dog in the Gorwa area of Vadodara district. Biju Raghunath Pillai had been walking his two dogs, a German shepherd and a Husky, along the Narmada canal road when the incident occurred.
According to witnesses, the German shepherd accidentally slipped into the canal while playing near its edge. Pillai immediately jumped into the canal in an attempt to save his dog, but the strong current overwhelmed him, and he was unable to swim, leading to his drowning.
“The German shepherd slipped into the canal, and Pillai rushed in to rescue it. Unfortunately, the current was very strong, and he couldn’t swim properly,” said Inspector M D Chaudhary of Laxmipura Police Station. “The German shepherd has not been found yet. A search is ongoing, and it’s possible the dog managed to get to safety, but it hasn’t been spotted in the area.”
Pillai, a regular visitor to the canal road with his dogs, had been walking them there that morning. Fire brigade officials received a distress call at 9:45 AM. “Locals saw Pillai in the water while the Husky was barking loudly. We arrived at the scene, but by the time we got there, he had already drowned. We recovered his body and informed the police,” a fire official said.
