1 killed, airline staffer injured as storm topples poles

NOIDA: A 28-year-old electrician was killed as a dust storm struck Noida on Tuesday afternoon, smothered by an uprooted pole, while a 38-year-old employee of a private airline sustained critical head injuries when an advertisement hoarding collapsed on him in Ghaziabad. Police said Pankaj Nahal, the airline staffer, was on a bike with his wife and six-year-old son riding pillion, riding towards Mohan Nagar when the hoarding came crashing down on them near a mall on GT Road. His wife and son escaped with minor injuries and were discharged from hospital after first aid.

Pankaj was first rushed to a nearby private hospital and later taken to Narendra Mohan Hospital in Mohan Nagar. “He has been kept on ventilator support as he has sustained critical head injuries. He might require a surgery,” said a hospital spokesperson.

Pankaj`s family members, who live in the Kotwali area, rushed to the hospital after he was admitted. “Eyewitnesses told us he was injured by the steel hoarding. We are praying for his quick recovery,” said his uncle Dharampal, a retired Delhi Police official.

The Noida accident happened that killed Sandeep, an electrician, happened on Noida Extension Road near Sector 71. Ashwini Kumar, Bisrakh police station in-charge, said Sandeep was cross…