KARUR: A 12-year-old boy drowned after falling into an open stormwater drain while returning from school on bicycle in Aravakuruchi in Karur district on Tuesday evening.
The deceased M Mohammed Usman was a resident of Habeeb Nagar in Pallapatti in Aravakuruchi. He was a Class 7 student at a government higher secondary school in Pallapatti, said police.
It was raining in Aravakuruchi when he was returning from school.
While he was passing through Dindigul road he fell into a two-foot-wide open stormwater drain which was full due to the rain.
A passerby, Jaffer, who witnessed the incident, attempted to rescue the boy but he was swept away by the strong current. Upon receiving information, police and personnel from the fire and rescue services rushed to the scene, conducted a search, and eventually located the boy’s body floating in the Nanganchi River, where the drain merges.
Police sent the body to the Aravakuruchi government hospital for postmortem. The Aravakuruchi police have registered a case and are conducting an inquiry.