Gurugram: Six children drown in rainwater-filled pond, all bodies recovered

In a major tragey, six children died due to drowning in a rain pond in Sector 111 of Haryana’s Gurugram district today. The children had gone to take bath in the pond, which got filled due to the incessant rainfall in the national capital region. 

The children, aged between 8 and 13 years, were residents of the nearby Shankar Vihar Colony. The police said they are making announcements in the area to know if any other child is missing.  

"Bodies of all 6 children recovered. All children were aged between 8-13 years. We're making announcements in local area to inform us if any other child is missing. If needed, we'll comb the pond again or drain it," said District Magistrate Nishant Yadan.

Durgesh, Ajit, Rahul, Piyush, Deva and Varun, all residents of Shankar Vihar Colony, had gone to take a bath in the pond this afternoon and drowned, the police said.

Teams of police, State Disaster Response Force, Civil Defence, National Disaster Response Force and fire brigade personnel were rushed to the spot and the bodies were fished out of the pond. The operation lasted four hours, they said.

The bodies have been sent to the civil hospital and a post-mortem examination will be conducted on Monday, they added.

Deputy Commissioner, Gurugram, Nishant Kumar Yadav said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased.

"This is a very unfortunate incident. We will identify such temporary ponds and drain their water so that such an accident does not happen in future," Yadav said.