West Bengal woman drowns after car plunges into pond during driving practice

A 34-year-old woman died after the car she was driving plunged into a pond in Kestopur's Prafulla Kanan West area of North 24 Parganas on Wednesday morning.

The incident took place at around 8:50 am when the woman was reportedly practising driving ahead of her driving licence test scheduled for next week.

The deceased has been identified as Sumitra Das. According to local sources, Sumitra's husband, Krishnendu Das, had purchased a new car a few days ago.

Sumitra was expected to appear for her driving licence test on August 22 and had been learning to drive the vehicle ahead of the examination.

On Wednesday morning, Sumitra reportedly took her daughter to school on a scooter. After returning home, she parked the scooter and took the newly purchased car out of the garage to practise driving.

Shortly afterwards, she lost control of the vehicle, which plunged into a nearby pond. The car reportedly travelled some distance into the water before sinking.

Sumitra was trapped inside the vehicle and allegedly tried to get out, but could not escape. She drowned inside the car's cabin.

Police and fire brigade personnel were informed about the accident and reached the spot.

Rescue operations continued for nearly one-and-a-half hours before Sumitra's body was recovered from the submerged vehicle. The car was also subsequently pulled out of the pond.

According to the preliminary assessment, the accident may have occurred after Sumitra accidentally pressed the accelerator while driving.

The sudden acceleration is suspected to have caused her to lose control of the vehicle, resulting in the car plunging into the pond.

Police have launched an investigation to establish the exact circumstances that led to the accident. The deceased's body has been sent for post-mortem examination. The incident has left residents of the Kestopur area shocked.

The accident occurred just days before Sumitra was scheduled to take her driving licence test, turning what was meant to be a routine driving practice session into a fatal incident.