Three drown in river as fishing trip turns fatal in ASR district

Visakhapatnam: Three children, all below 12 years of age, drowned in the Matsyagedda River near Lakaiputtu in Pedabayalu mandal of Alluri Sitharama Raju district on Sunday evening.This comes after an eerily similar incident from the same district just days earlier. Three girls, all below 17 years of age, from Jambuvalasa village of Hukumpeta mandal, drowned after losing their footing and slipping deeper while splashing in Mulagummi waterfall of Hukumpeta mandal in the district.The deceased were identified as Koda Pradeep, J Harshit and Pangi Srinu alias Bablu, all residents of Panneda village of Pedabayalu mandal.As per the reports, five children from Panneda village went to the Matsyagedda River on Sunday afternoon for a splash. After spending some time, four of them decided to fish and entered deep in the waters; they were caught in a mire and drowned. One of them managed to swim safely and alerted the locals.Though the locals tried to rescue the children, their efforts proved futile. The locals retrieved the bodies from the water and informed the police. The tragic incident devastated the villagers. The police have reached the spot, and the investigation is on.The police said water bodies in parts of the district are deceptively risky, especially for those unfamiliar with the terrain or without swimming skills. Slippery rocks and sudden drops in water depth often increase the danger for visitors. As the summer fun turns fatal at water bodies, the police appealed to parents to watch the activities of their children during the summer.