A man has been arrested for allegedly throwing his four children into a canal following an argument with his wife, sources said on Wednesday.

The 12-year-old daughter, whom the man flung from a 30-foot high bridge, not only managed to swim to safety but also rescued two of her siblings. However, the fourth child, a five-year-old and youngest of the lot, is still missing.

The accused, Pushpendra Kumar, after a domestic dispute, had gone to drop his wife at her father's place, 15 km away from the village. On his return, Kumar told his children that he would take them to a fair at a nearby shrine. On the way, he stopped at the bridge and threw his four kids -- Sonu (13), Prabha (12), Kajal (8), and Hemlata (5) -- into the 15-foot-deep canal. Prabha swam ashore and also brought her sister Kajal by tightly clutching her hand. Once ashore, she called out to her elder brother Sonu, who was drowning, and told him to hold on to a bridge column till she ensured that help arrived. She then began to scream for help and waved frantically at passers-by who came to her rescue.

All the three children were in a stable condition, villagers said, adding that divers had been deployed to trace out the missing child.

Narrating the incident, Sonu said that his father had hired an auto-rickshaw to go to the fair. He added, "We were excited and dressed up well. After travelling for a few minutes, we stopped on a bridge. He took us to show us the canal. He made us sit on the fence. When I asked about the depth of the canal, he pushed us down one by one. We are still unable to find our youngest sister."

An FIR was later registered against Pushpendra under Indian Penal Code sections 363 (kidnapping) and 307 (attempt to murder) on the basis of a complaint filed by village watchman Chob Singh.

Singh said, "Pushpendra had been working as a daily wager. He remained intoxicated most of the time. His wife somehow ensured education for the three elder children."

Station House Officer of Sahawar, Siddhart Tomar, said, "During investigation, the accused confessed to his crime and claimed to have done it under the influence of alcohol. He has been sent to jail."

Meanwhile, in another shocking incident, a speeding vehicle hit a man and later dragged him for 8-kilometres, killing him.

The accident took place on the flyover of Mithepur, the outpost of Karsal police station area in Mainpuri district. By the time the police reached the spot, the driver had fled with the vehicle. The youth was identified as Jaiveer Singh of Dholpur Kheda.

According to information, Jaiveer had gone to village Kathfori in district Firozabad on Monday and was returning on Tuesday night when the mishap took place. His motorcycle fell on the spot due to the collision, while Jaiveer got trapped in the vehicle. He was dragged by the vehicle for eight kilometres, resulting in his death.

The body was found lying on the Jaswantnagar overbridge.

A case was registered and the body was sent for autopsy.