KARIMNAGAR: In a tragic incident, six young boys drowned in the Lower Manair Dam, located on the outskirts of the city. The boys had got into the water for a swim after a game of cricket on the banks of the reservoir on Monday morning.
The deceased have been identified as 13-year-old Yachamaneni Pratheesh, aka Gopi, his 10-year-old brother Pradyumna, 8-year-old twins Juvvadi Soumith and Suhith, Joginapalli Shiva Sai, 14, and Danaboina Sai Srijan Reddy, also 14.
While Gopi and Pradyumna were students of Oakridge International School in Hyderabad, their cousins Soumith and Suhith went to Delhi Public School.
Shiva Sai and Srijan Reddy were students of Alphores High School. All of them were sons of businessmen. Shiva Sai was related to Gopi, Pradyumna and the twins. Srijan was their friend.
Karimnagar rural inspector G. Narender said that the children drowned at about 8 am as they did not know how to swim very well.
The kids had also failed to judge the depth of the reservoir. The boys wanted to play in the water after a cricket match. Only Shiva Sai could swim properly. However, he was unable to save his cousins, and he also drowned, said the inspector.
Boinapalli Rohan, one of their friends who had not gone for the swim, alerted the children’s parents.
The worried parents rushed to the spot and informed police, who reached the reservoir and deployed expert divers. The divers fished out the bodies of the six boys after searching for about three hours. It is learned that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed grief over the incident.
