In twin tragedies, CG mom dies saving drowning daughter, youth drowns after saving boy

Raipur: In a heartbreaking incident, a pregnant mother jumped into deep waters to save her drowning eight-year-old daughter at Ghoghra dam in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district. However, none of them reappeared on the surface. In a separate incident within a span of a few hours, over 300 km away, a 20-year-old youth rescued a drowning boy at a picnic spot before getting swept away himself.

The twin drowning incidents on Sunday left families shattered while exposing the deadly risks lurking beneath crowded village reservoirs and picnic dams during the peak summer season.

After watching her mother and eight-year-old sister trail away into the deep at the Goghra dam, 10-year-old Aradhana Tigga ran back to her village soaked, trembling and screaming for help.

By the time villagers reached the reservoir located in Pathalgaon, only slippers, clothes and a plastic bucket lay abandoned near the bank.

The deceased were identified as Sukanti Tigga, around 30, a resident of Balajhar village, and her daughter Meenakshi.

Villagers said Sukanti was six to eight months pregnant.

According to police, Sukanti had gone to the dam with her two daughters to wash clothes and bathe on Sunday afternoon. While the children were near the shallow edge, Meenakshi drifted towards the deeper water.

Seeing her daughter slip deeper into the waters, Sukanti jumped in to save her. Elder daughter Aradhana, too, plunged in out of panic but somehow managed to swim back to safety.

However, Sukanti and Meenakshi were pulled deeper into the reservoir before anyone could reach them.

Within minutes, dozens of villagers gathered at the dam and launched a frantic search operation.

After hours of effort involving villagers, local divers and police personnel, both bodies were finally recovered.

Pathalgaon SDOP Dhruvesh Jaiswal said police immediately reached the spot after receiving information and sent the bodies for postmortem examination.

In the Ratanpur area of neighbouring Bilaspur district, a group of about 10 to 15 youths had gone for a picnic near Chachai dam when a boy bathing in the reservoir suddenly slipped into deep water and started drowning.

Seeing the child struggle, 20-year-old Dheeraj Ratre, jumped into the dam and managed to pull the boy out on his back.

But moments after saving the child, Dheeraj himself got trapped in the deep water and strong current. Before his friends could react, he disappeared into the waters.

Panic spread across the picnic spot as his companions alerted police and local residents. Rescue teams, along with villagers, searched the reservoir for nearly two hours before recovering his body.

Both incidents triggered emotional scenes in the villages, with grieving families and residents struggling to come to terms with the deaths that came while trying to save lives.