KOCHI: A five-year-old boy drowned in a water-filled canal during a school trip to an amusement park in Kizhakkambalam, on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Muhammed Adam, son of Muhammed Nazeer and Ameera, natives of Chengalam in Kottayam. The incident occurred after lunch, when teachers were gathering students around 1 pm and noticed the child missing. He was later found in a nearby water-filled canal within the park premises, said a source with the Ernakulam rural police.
Students and staff of ‘Beyond Born,’ an early education centre in Palarivattom had arrived at Lions Jungle Park in Kadambrayar, Pazhanganad, for a school excursion earlier in the day.
After activities in the park, teachers began assembling the children for lunch, when Adam was found missing. Following an alert, personnel from Thadiyittaparamba police station reached the spot and launched a search, during which the child was located in the canal. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared him dead, said the official.
“Despite being a vacation period, the school had organised the pre-scheduled day excursion for the children. Preliminary findings suggest several irregularities and safety violations in the functioning of the amusement park. A detailed investigation, including a probe into the unnatural death, has been launched,” said an officer with the Thadiyittaparamba police.
FRANTIC SEARCH AMID SUSPECTED KIDNAPPING
As the boy struggled for his life, teachers and staff of the pre-school, along with park employees, were frantically searching the premises under the belief that he had been abducted. “When Adam was found missing, teachers asked the other children about his whereabouts, and one of them said he had been taken away in a car.
This created panic, and the police were initially alerted about a suspected kidnapping,” said a top source with the rural police. On reaching the spot, police launched a search for the alleged suspect and vehicle based on the initial information.
Simultaneously, a team led by sub-inspector Sajeev M G conducted a detailed search across the park premises, during which the child was found in a canal-like structure used for boating, said the officer. Around 30 students were part of the excursion. The boy’s father is employed abroad, and he was living with his mother at her residence, the officer added.