Police, fire brigade and local residents are still searching for Ashok. (Representational/ANI)

A woman died after she and her husband jumped into a canal in Kunjirwadi to save their seven-year-old son from drowning on Saturday afternoon.

Police have identified the deceased as Soni Kashyap (39). Her husband, Ashok Kashyap (40), is missing.

The couple, along with their four children — Raj (11), Rajni (9), Ranjit (7) and Nishu (6) — came to Pune from Uttar Pradesh about six months ago. They were both employees of a nursery in Kunjirwadi in Haveli taluka.

Work at the nursery shut down in March-end due to the lockdown over the coronavirus disease pandemic. Three days ago, Ashok had registered his family members’ names with local authorities to seek permission to go back to their native place in UP.

Around 2 pm on Saturday, the family went to the canal in Kunjirwadi area. Police said the couple was sitting on the side of the canal and their children were playing nearby. Ranjit entered the canal water, and was dragged away by the strong current.

Both Soni and Ashok jumped into the canal to save their son, while their other children started shouting for help. Local residents rushed to the spot and managed to pull out Ranjit. They also retrieved Soni’s body. Ashok has still not been traced.

On receiving information about the incident, a team of Pune Rural Police and fire brigade reached the spot. Soni was taken to a hospital, where she was declared dead.

Police, fire brigade and local residents are still searching for Ashok.