Boy swept away in rivulet, another drowns in pond

One child drowned and another was swept away in seasonal rivulets in the past 48 hours. Five children have died in such incidents in the district this monsoon season.

A five-year-old boy died after falling into a pond near Ward No. 2 of Mubarikpur. Deceased Adhiraj, son of Akhilesh, was playing on swings near the pond when he slipped and fell into it around 11 am. He was rushed to the Dera Bassi subdivisional hospital where the doctors declared him dead on arrival. The family, hailing from Muzzaffarpur in Bihar, lives here in a rented accommodation.

In the other incident, a 14-year-old boy was swept away in a rivulet near Nadiali village in Banur on August 15.

Harshdeep Singh, son of Ranjit Singh, from Jansli village, had gone to the rivulet along with his friends. The water level in the rivulet had increased due to overnight rain. His friends raised the alarm. Passersby rushed to rescue the boy, but could not get hold of him.

A team of divers searched for the boy, but in vain. Officials of public health, drainage and police departments visited the spot. Divers continued search on the second day, but could not find the body.

On July 2, two children drowned in stagnant rainwater at a vacant park in Sector 119. Aradhya (8) was playing near the park when she fell into the 10-foot-deep water. Aryan (10), who was also playing nearby, tried to rescue the girl, but both drowned.

A day later, 10-year-old Harishanker, son of Hari Chander, a migrant labourer from Bihar, drowned in a pit in the low-lying area of Bakarpur village in IT City.