Patiala, August 17

An Army jawan drowned while another was missing after the car they were travelling in fell into the Bhakra canal near Ablowal village here this afternoon. A third car occupant swam to safety.

The three Army men, all from the same unit, were said to have been on a month’s leave. The deceased has been identified as Jagmeet Singh, a resident of Nadampur village in Sangrur district. Manpreet Singh, who hailed from Shekpura village in Patiala, was missing, said the police. The body of the deceased was retrieved from the water by passersby using a turban.

Kamadeep Singh, the survivor, said they had taken the path along the canal to meet their senior, a retired Army man, near Ablowal. “The driver, while trying to avoid a pothole, lost control of the vehicle and it plunged into the canal,” he claimed. — TNS