KARIMNAGAR: Three youths were drowned in the Manair river while trying to immerse a Ganesh idol at Naguram village on Monday night. Finance and civil supplies minister Etela Rajendar and district authorities consoled the bereaved family and promised Rs 10,000 to them.
The deceased were identified as Chintapalli Sanjeeva Rao, 28, Polsani Shravan Rao, 24, and Manda Ravi Goud, 24. All of them were farmers. The trio died as they got caught under the idol after it was submerged in the waters.
Around 17 devotees were carrying the idol on their shoulders at the time of the mishap. The trio drowned as they did not know swimming. But, the other devotees managed to save themselves by swimming to safety. The devotees alerted the families of the trio. But, the families could not trace them as it was dark. However, the bodies floated in the morning. Sanjeevar Rao is survived by a six-month-old girl, while Manda Ravi has a year-old boy.
Earlier, Pathapelli Samabaraju, 18, was electrocuted while participating in the immersion at Mallaram village on Monday. He died after coming into contact with a live wire while trying to supply power to a tractor carrying the idol of Ganesha.
