New Delhi, Jan 25 (NationPress) A man is currently feared to have drowned in a canal of the Yamuna River during an idol immersion ceremony at the Delhi-Noida border, as reported by officials on Sunday. They noted that a comprehensive rescue and search operation is actively in progress.

The individual missing has been named as Vikas, who was engaged in the immersion of Goddess Saraswati idols on Saturday, just a day following Basant Panchami. During the ritual, it is said that he slipped and fell into the river.

Authorities indicated that he is presumed to have drowned in the Yamuna Canal, which runs along the border between East Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

The in-charge of the Delhi Boat Club, Harish Kumar, informed IANS that the rescue operation was paused late at night before resuming early Sunday morning.

"The rescue efforts were halted at 12:30 a.m. and recommenced at 6:30 a.m. The divers from the Boat Club are persistently searching the Yamuna River. So far, there has been no sign of the drowned man," Kumar stated.

Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with local police, fire services, and the Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), are on-site and actively contributing to the rescue efforts.

Amol Srivastava, the East Delhi District Magistrate, spoke to reporters and mentioned that the incident was first reported on Saturday evening.

"The Uttar Pradesh Police received information about a young man falling into the Yamuna Canal between 8 and 8:15 p.m. on Saturday. Upon receiving this information, local police and administrative teams promptly arrived at the scene to initiate the rescue operation. Given the critical nature of the situation, the NDRF was called in around 8:30 p.m.," he said.

According to Vikas's brother, the incident transpired while they were immersing the idol on foot.

"We arrived here yesterday at 7 p.m. for the idol immersion. We usually perform the immersion on foot. His foot slipped during the process. The search has been ongoing since yesterday, but he has not yet been located," he informed IANS.

Eyewitnesses remarked that when the man fell into the canal, people nearby quickly raised an alarm and alerted the authorities. However, they noted that due to the strong current in the Yamuna, he might have been carried away.

Administrative officials remain at the scene, closely monitoring the rescue efforts in collaboration with multiple agencies. Local residents are also being questioned to gather all available information concerning the incident.

In the meantime, the administration has urged the public to exercise heightened caution near canals, rivers, and other water bodies during idol immersion ceremonies and religious events to prevent such incidents.