3 boys drown in rainwater-filled pit in UP's Bahraich

Bahraich (UP), Jul 1 (PTI) Three boys, including two brothers, drowned while bathing in a rainwater-filled pit near a canal in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich on Tuesday, officials said.

The incident took place near the canal embankment in Sujandeeh village in Payagpur tehsil, they said.

Payagpur Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ashwini Pandey said ”Zainul Abideen (10), Dastagir (9) and his brother Mohammad Alam (7) had gone to bathe in a deep pit filled with rainwater along the canal bank this morning.

The three boys drowned while bathing, he said.

Villagers managed to pull the children out and rushed them to the nearby primary health centre, but doctors declared them brought dead, the SDM said.

Additional Superintendent of Police Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha said canal widening work was underway in the area.

During the construction, a deep pit had formed where soil had been excavated. Recent rains had filled the pit with water, turning it into a hazard that claimed the children's lives, he said.

SDM Pandey said post-mortem examinations have been conducted on all three bodies, and financial assistance due under disaster relief provisions will be provided to the families soon. PTI COR KIS NB