By IANS,
New Delhi: Five children between 10 and 14 drowned in separate accidents in the national capital, police said Sunday.
Three friends, Raju, Pawan and Amit, all aged between 10 and 12, had gone to bathe in the Yamuna river in Burari area of north Delhi when they drowned Saturday. The police said a search for them started following complaints from their families.
“Their families reported that the three had left together and did not return. A search was launched and their bodies were fished out of the water,” said a police officer.
In a separate incident, a 12-year-old boy lost his life Saturday evening after he fell into an open drain in Welcome area of Delhi.
Following the incident, parents, relatives and neighbours of the victim protested against the police and local administration for not taking prompt action to save the boy.
The police baton charged the protesters after some of them started to throw stones. The victim’s body could only be fished out Sunday afternoon and has been sent for an autopsy.
“The people blocked traffic saying the fire services did not take action on time,” a police officer said.
The third incident was reported from the Kanjhawala area of northwest Delhi where Vikas Kumar, 14, drowned in a pool near his house.
The police said Vikas had left his house to bathe in the pool. The body was recovered and handed over to his family after an autopsy, according to the police.