Visakhapatnam: A 14-year-old boy, who tried to swim across a river to reach his school, was found dead on Saturday. The boy on Friday tried to cross river Vegavathi in Maruvada village in Vizianagaram district to reach his school. He was a student of Class 8 in ZP High School.
The incident once again exposed the risk the students take to reach their schools under harsh conditions.
The victim was identified as Chowdari Srinivasa Rao, a native of Chowdarivalasa village under Vengara police station limits in Vizianagaram district.
The police said that the school and the village of the victim are located on the opposite banks of the river. The locals said that Srinivasa Rao, along with two other students, were on their way to school on Friday morning. A shepherd, Mahesh, who was taking a bath in the river, helped two of them reach the other side of River Vegavathi, which was in spate due to recent heavy rains.
However, Srinivasa Rao followed Mahesh to cross the river but was caught in the waters due to strong current and drowned. The locals said that the distance through a motorable road to reach Maruvada village from Chowdarivalasa village is around 8 km, while crossing the river cuts down the distance by more than 6 km. The villagers have been crossing the river for the past few years to reach Maruvada for medical, education and other needs.
