India, Aug. 8 -- A 47-year-old man nearly drowned after slipping into a 15-foot drain in Ghaziabad's Shastri Nagar on Friday before police and fire department personnel rescued him, officials said.

According to police, the incident happened around 9.15am, when the drain's flow was low.

Chief fire officer Rahul Pal told HT, "Police informed the fire department around 10am and a team rushed to the spot. They used a ladder to enter the drain and pull out the man using ropes. The drain is about 15 feet deep and 20 feet wide. The man was struggling to stay above the water's surface. He was pulled out within 25 minutes and rushed to a hospital."

Police constable Ashish Yadav, who reached the site after receiving information from locals, said...