Four schoolchildren, including two siblings, drown in water-filled drain pit in Nanded

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Four schoolchildren drowned in the stagnant water accumulated in a deep pit linked to an ongoing drain project in the Degloor Naka area of Nanded on Thursday morning, officials said.The incident took place around 11am in the Islamapura locality near Haroonbagh. The deceased have been identified as Mohammad Ali (13), Mohammad Furkhan (18), Mohammad Adnan (8) and Mohammad Rehan (11). The police said three of the boys belonged to the same family, and two of them were siblings.Citing the preliminary probe, the Nanded police said the children had stepped out to play and reached the site where a pit — around 15 feet deep — was dug for drainage work being carried out by a private contractor appointed by the municipal corporation. With the work halted, a large quantity of rainwater and drainage water had accumulated in the pit."Tempted to swim, the children reportedly took off their clothes and entered the water. However, they were unaware of the pit's depth. Moreover, due to the presence of thick sludge in the pit, the boys were unable to gauge the danger and drowned within minutes. The exact chronology of events is being verified," said Nanded superintendent of police Abinash Kumar.On being informed, local youths and rescuers went to the spot and pulled the children out of the water. The fire brigade personnel used motor pumps to drain out water from the pit as part of the rescue effort. A large crowd had gathered as news of the incident spread.Senior police and municipal corporation officials reached the site soon after. The bodies were sent for postmortem, and a panchnama was conducted.The incident triggered anger among residents, who questioned the lack of safety measures, such as barricading or warning signs at the site. Authorities have initiated an inquiry to determine responsibility, and appropriate legal action will follow.