Three schoolchildren narrowly escaped tragedy after falling into an overflowing drain hidden beneath floodwater in north Delhi’s Jagatpur on Thursday, amid heavy rain that left several parts of the national capital waterlogged. The children were rescued within seconds by alert locals and passersby, preventing what could have turned into another rain-related fatality.

The incident, captured on CCTV, has since gone viral on social media, raising fresh concerns over public safety and the city’s recurring monsoon woes.

The 41-second CCTV clip, dated August 6 and timestamped around 12.47 pm, shows a road completely submerged under rainwater as nearly 10 schoolchildren, dressed in their uniforms, wade through calf-deep water while returning home. Several vehicles can also be seen stranded on the flooded road, indicating traffic disruption due to waterlogging.

As the children continue walking, three of them suddenly disappear after stepping into what is believed to be an overflowing drain concealed beneath the accumulated rainwater. The remaining children panic and rush back, while one girl screams, warning others about the hidden danger.

Within moments, residents, motorists and passersby rushed to the spot and pulled the children out of the drain. As more people gathered, some residents recorded the rescue on their mobile phones while others searched the flooded stretch to ensure no other child had fallen into the drain.

The incident comes as Delhi continues to battle heavy monsoon showers. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Friday, forecasting a generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rain across most parts of the city and heavy rain at isolated locations. The weather department has also warned of waterlogging in low-lying areas, traffic congestion and an increased risk of road accidents.

The Jagatpur incident has also revived memories of several rain-related deaths in Delhi-NCR. Last month, a seven-year-old boy drowned in a waterlogged vacant plot in outer Delhi’s Samaypur Badli. Days later, a three-year-old girl lost her life after drowning in rainwater collected outside her home in Ghaziabad.