NOB_Patancheru, Sangareddy District: A festive occasion turned into a heart-wrenching tragedy on Wednesday evening in the outskirts of Peddakanjerla village under Indresham Municipality, Patancheru mandal.
Six students belonging to the ‘Shirisha Memorial Charitable Trust’ – an orphanage – drowned while immersing a Ganesh idol in the nearby Neredu Cheruvu (lake).
According to locals and police, a group of nine students had gone to the lake along with locals for Vinayaka Nimajjanam. While immersing the idol, they failed to notice a deep pit inside the water.
One student who did not know swimming slipped first. In an attempt to save him, the others held each other’s hands and moved forward, losing balance and falling into the deep pit. While three students who knew swimming managed to come out safely, six others drowned.
The deceased have been identified as:
- Narasimha Raju (18) – http://B.Tech 2nd Year
- Sumanth Reddy (19) – Polytechnic 2nd Year
- Ganesh (20) – Polytechnic 2nd Year
- Uday Kiran (21) – Polytechnic 3rd Year
- Shyam Kumar (18) – Polytechnic 1st Year
- Siddharth (16) – Class 10
On receiving information, Patancheru police rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies with the help of locals and expert swimmers. The bodies were shifted to the Government Hospital in Patancheru for post mortem.
Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy visited the hospital and inspected the bodies. He expressed deep condolences and announced that ambulances would be arranged at his own expense to shift the bodies to their native places two from Vijayawada, two from Warangal and two from Kukatpally.
Patancheru police have registered a case and are investigating whether adequate safety measures were in place at the immersion point.
