SRIVILLIPUTHUR/VILLUPURAM/CHENNAI:Five children drowned in separate incidents in Villupuram and Virudhunagar and Chennai on Saturday.
In the first incident reported from Villupuram district, P Sasidaran (4), a lower kindergarten (LKG) student, from V Ariyalur village drowned in a pond. The child was playing near the pond when he accidentally fell into the water body.
The incident came to life when a few passers-by noticed a child struggling to stay afloat in the pond. Immediately, a few locals jumped into the pond and brought the boy ashore. However, he died on the way to the hospital.
Meanwhile, in the second mishap, a six-year-old girl drowned in a pit beside Varagha river near Vikrawandi in Villupuram on Saturday evening. According to police, Angeline (6) of Thoravi village near Vikrawandi went to take bath in a pit near Varagha river.
While the children were playing, Angeline lost her balance and fell into the pit. Angeline’s alarmed friends started crying for help. However, by the time the villagers reached the spot, Angeline had drowned.
In the third incident, a 15-year-old boy drowned in an irrigation tank when he was having a bath in the water body in Srivilliputhur.
According to the police Sundarajan (15), a resident of Perumalpatti near Srivilliputhur, on Saturday went to take a bath in Govaneri irrigation tank at Thiruvannamalai village.
Of a sudden the boy lost his balance and fell into the swollen tank and drowned. His body was noticed by a few locals.
Meanwhile, in two similar incidents reported from Chennai, a two-year-old boy drowned in water that had collected before their house in Pallikaranai. Lokesh was playing with his mother on Saturday night. The mother left him for a moment. When she came back Lokesh was floating in the water. In the second incident, Harikrishnan (10) from Kaiyur in Kancheepuram was washed away while bathing with friends in a lake.
14-year-old girl washed away
Vellore: A 14 year-old school girl Sharmila of Kadalaikulam was washed away in Oduguathur River on Saturday. The incident occurred when the girl was returning home with her father Purusothaman on a two-wheeler. They stopped at the surface level bridge across Odugathur River near Nemandhapuram at about 6 pm. Sharmila lost balance and slipped into the river and was washed away. On seeing this, the girl’s father jumped into the river to save his daughter but in vain.
2 of family injured as roof collapses
Karaikudi: Two of a family were injured when the roof of their house gave way under the heavy battering at Anumandakudi, here on Sunday. The injured were identified as K Devi (39), a resident of Anumandakudi and her son K Vijay (11). They were taken to the Devakottai Government Hospital from where they were referred to the Sivaganga GH. Sources said that Devi, her husband Kodiarasan and Vijay were sleeping in the house when a portion of the house roof fell on the duo on Sunday.
‘Not the time to Play blamer game’
Madurai: Taking a different view from his party leaders, BJP leader L Ganesan said it was not the right time to criticize the state government for the floods. Ganesan was in the city to participate in Madurai region meeting as a part of unifying seven sub castes of Scheduled castes into one Devendra Kula Vellalar. Addressing media persons, Ganesan said the people were suffering heavily in the flood affected areas. It is not the time for politicizing the issue but to offer help, he added.