Five children drown in separate incidents in two Chhattisgarh districts

Mohla/Jagdalpur, Aug 4 (PTI) Five children drowned in two separate incidents in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki and Bastar districts in Chhattisgarh, police officials said on Monday.

Both the incidents took place on Sunday, they added.

Three children drowned in a pond in Chhachhanpahri village in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, while two others died in a similar manner at an abandoned stone quarry in Hajariguda village in Bastar, they said.

In Chhachhanpahri, Navyansh Kumar, Himanshu Sahu and Lakshya, in the 6-7 age group, went to a pond to take bath on Sunday evening, and a search was mounted for them when they were not seen for a long time, sarpanch Panchram Chandravanshi said.

"Some villagers spotted their clothes on the bank of the water body. They then called other villagers who fished out the bodies. Doctors at the Community Health Centre in Ambagarh Chowki declared them dead," Chandravanshi said.

An accidental death report has been registered and further probe is underway, police said.

Condoling the incidents, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, in a post on X, said, "The news of the tragic death of five children in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki area and Hajariguda village of Jagdalpur (Bastar) due to drowning in deep water while bathing is extremely sad. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to rest in peace the departed souls and give strength to the bereaved families to bear the grief." The district administration concerned has been instructed to provide financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the affected families as per government rules, the CM said.

"I appeal to the general public to avoid going near flooding rivers, streams and deep water sources during this rainy season," the CM added. PTI COR TKP BNM