5 minors among 6 drown in Ludhiana

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 14

Five minors, including four siblings, drowned in a pond at Maangarh village on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway this afternoon. A man tried to save the children by jumping into the pond but he also drowned.

The minors were taking a bath when they got stuck in a marshy area. A villager who saw the children drowning jumped into the pond but he too got stuck.

The authorities called in divers who struggled for over two hours to retrieve the six bodies. Koom Kalan SHO Harshpal Singh Chahal, who visited the scene, said the five children were aged between 4 and 10 years.

The siblings have been identified as Priya (4), Monu (6), Chhoti (8) and Laxmi (10). The fifth child has been identified as Kalim (10).

The minors’ parents worked as migrant labourers. The siblings’ father Sanjay is a native of Lucknow and currently lives at Maangarh village. Kalim’s father Mohd Fahim, too, is a native of UP and a resident of the village.

The SHO said the sixth victim had been identified as Rahul (22). His father Nirgun Saha is a native of Bihar and currently residing at Maangarh. The bodies were later handed over to parents.

CM announces Rs50,000 ex gratia

Expressing deep shock over the tragic incident, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday announced ex gratia of Rs50,000 to the families of each of the five children who drowned in a pond in a Ludhiana village, as well as for the migrant who also died while trying to save them. The CM extended his heartfelt sympathies with the bereaved migrant families, and directed the district authorities to offer all possible support to them in this hour of grief.