LUCKNOW: Three children drowned while bathing in an under-construction pond in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district on Sunday afternoon, while a fourth boy managed to swim to safety and alert villagers, triggering a rescue operation. The incident took place at around 1.30 pm in Pokhara Tola of Mirabai Nagar Ward under the Siswa municipal area. According to the police, four friends — Rajbir (13), son of Umesh Yadav; Nitish Yadav (12), son of Ramesh Yadav; Rohan (13), son of Ramlakhan; and Krishna Rauniyar (15), son of Kabootar Rauniyar — had gone to bathe in the under-construction pond when three of them suddenly slipped into deep water and started drowning. Rajbir managed to swim out of the pond and rushed to inform his family members and nearby residents. His alert caused panic in the village, with a large number of people gathering at the spot before informing the police.
Half-hour rescue operation
After receiving the information, Kothibhar Station House Officer Akhilesh Verma and Siswa Outpost In-charge Divya Prakash Maurya reached the spot with police personnel. Divers were immediately called in, and a rescue operation was launched. After nearly 30 minutes of intensive searching, the divers recovered the bodies of Rohan, Krishna and Nitish from the pond. The three children were taken by ambulance to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Siswa, where doctors declared them dead.
Families devastated
The deaths plunged the village into mourning, with grieving family members breaking down at the hospital and outside their homes. The police completed the inquest proceedings and sent the bodies for post-mortem examination. SHO Akhilesh Verma said an investigation had been launched into the incident. The tragedy has raised serious questions about safety measures at the under-construction pond. Local residents alleged that the site lacked proper fencing, warning signs and other safety measures to prevent children from entering the water. Following the incident, villagers demanded stricter safety measures at under-construction water bodies to prevent similar accidents. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families. He directed district officials to reach the spot immediately, speed up relief measures and ensure all possible assistance was provided to the affected families. He also instructed officials to ensure proper medical treatment for anyone injured and wished them a speedy recovery.
