News Analysis India

Tag: Drowning

  • Four students drown in Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh

    By PTI

    KAKINADA: Four students who had gone to take a dip in the Gautami-Godavari river in Kakinada district drowned and their bodies were retrieved on Sunday, police said.

    Intending to swim, seven students got into the Godavari river at Pillanka village in Tallarevu Mandal around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Of them, four drowned and we retrieved their bodies on Sunday morning, a police official told PTI.

    The other three were safe, police said. The deceased were pursuing undergraduate courses and were in their early 20s. The students belonging to Tanuku town in the West Godavari district came on a fun trip.

    They first went to nearby Yanam and then came to Pillanka.

    According to police, the four students were swept away by the strong current while swimming and after several hours their bodies were recovered.

    The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), fire, revenue and police departments, and fishermen were involved in the search effort. Police have registered a case under Section 174 of CrPC. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

    KAKINADA: Four students who had gone to take a dip in the Gautami-Godavari river in Kakinada district drowned and their bodies were retrieved on Sunday, police said.

    Intending to swim, seven students got into the Godavari river at Pillanka village in Tallarevu Mandal around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Of them, four drowned and we retrieved their bodies on Sunday morning, a police official told PTI.

    The other three were safe, police said. The deceased were pursuing undergraduate courses and were in their early 20s. The students belonging to Tanuku town in the West Godavari district came on a fun trip.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    They first went to nearby Yanam and then came to Pillanka.

    According to police, the four students were swept away by the strong current while swimming and after several hours their bodies were recovered.

    The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), fire, revenue and police departments, and fishermen were involved in the search effort. Police have registered a case under Section 174 of CrPC. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

  • Sundarbans records highest drowning mortality rate among children across globe: Report

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal’s Sundarbans region has recorded the world’s highest drowning mortality rate of 243 per lakh population among children in the age group of one to four in three years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study.

    The study, which was conducted from 2016 to 2019, also found that the region has a mortality rate of 38.8 per lakh population among children aged between five and nine.

    The study was conducted in 19 blocks – 13 in South 24 Parganas district and six in North 24 Parganas – of the region on incidents reported from October 2016 to September 2019. It was recently published.

    “There was no difference in the mortality rates among boys and girls. Most children drowned in ponds within 50 metres of their homes when they were unaccompanied by their primary caretakers who were engaged in household work,” it said.

    The survey was carried out by non-governmental organisation Child in Need Institute (CINI), in partnership with global agencies Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and The George Institute (TGI) to gauge the enormity of the problem of drowning among children in the coastal Sundarbans region.

    Sundarbans is a mangrove region in southeastern part of West Bengal and southwestern region of Bangladesh.

    In the Indian part, Sundarbans is spread over 100 islands and has around 40 lakh inhabitants.

    Of the total population, around 15.9 per cent are children aged between one and nine.

    Many settlements are remote and far away from medical establishments.

    Water level in the waterbodies of Sundarbans increase during monsoon, while the coastal region is also increasingly experiencing incidents of flooding over the last four to five years.

    West Bengal’s Sundarbans Affairs Minister Bankim Chandra Hazra acknowledged the problem of drowning of children and said that the state government is trying to address the issue.

    “We have no hesitation in admitting that there have been incidents of deaths of children by drowning. However, we do not have a detailed report,” Hazra told PTI.

    According to the minister, the call of the hour is to raise the level of awareness among the residents of Sundarbans on drowning like they were informed about dengue, malaria or child marriage.

    “Every year, we are losing several young lives due to drowning. People need to be informed in this regard to address this problem,” Hazra added.

    CINI’s national advocacy officer Sujoy Roy said that the survey will help not only locals but also highlight the situation before policymakers.

    “Drowning deaths, particularly among children, are heart-wrenching and entirely preventable. It is imperative that governments take heightened responsibility to protect our children from this silent peril. This study will help the local people as well as the government to understand how critical the situation is and realise the need to frame a policy in this regard,” Roy said.

    He said that the first-ever national seminar on drowning prevention was jointly organised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram in September.

    KOLKATA: West Bengal’s Sundarbans region has recorded the world’s highest drowning mortality rate of 243 per lakh population among children in the age group of one to four in three years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study.

    The study, which was conducted from 2016 to 2019, also found that the region has a mortality rate of 38.8 per lakh population among children aged between five and nine.

    The study was conducted in 19 blocks – 13 in South 24 Parganas district and six in North 24 Parganas – of the region on incidents reported from October 2016 to September 2019. It was recently published.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “There was no difference in the mortality rates among boys and girls. Most children drowned in ponds within 50 metres of their homes when they were unaccompanied by their primary caretakers who were engaged in household work,” it said.

    The survey was carried out by non-governmental organisation Child in Need Institute (CINI), in partnership with global agencies Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and The George Institute (TGI) to gauge the enormity of the problem of drowning among children in the coastal Sundarbans region.

    Sundarbans is a mangrove region in southeastern part of West Bengal and southwestern region of Bangladesh.

    In the Indian part, Sundarbans is spread over 100 islands and has around 40 lakh inhabitants.

    Of the total population, around 15.9 per cent are children aged between one and nine.

    Many settlements are remote and far away from medical establishments.

    Water level in the waterbodies of Sundarbans increase during monsoon, while the coastal region is also increasingly experiencing incidents of flooding over the last four to five years.

    West Bengal’s Sundarbans Affairs Minister Bankim Chandra Hazra acknowledged the problem of drowning of children and said that the state government is trying to address the issue.

    “We have no hesitation in admitting that there have been incidents of deaths of children by drowning. However, we do not have a detailed report,” Hazra told PTI.

    According to the minister, the call of the hour is to raise the level of awareness among the residents of Sundarbans on drowning like they were informed about dengue, malaria or child marriage.

    “Every year, we are losing several young lives due to drowning. People need to be informed in this regard to address this problem,” Hazra added.

    CINI’s national advocacy officer Sujoy Roy said that the survey will help not only locals but also highlight the situation before policymakers.

    “Drowning deaths, particularly among children, are heart-wrenching and entirely preventable. It is imperative that governments take heightened responsibility to protect our children from this silent peril. This study will help the local people as well as the government to understand how critical the situation is and realise the need to frame a policy in this regard,” Roy said.

    He said that the first-ever national seminar on drowning prevention was jointly organised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram in September.

  • Rajasthan: Three people go missing after being swept away in Parvati river 

    By PTI

    KOTA: Three people went missing after being swept away in the Parvati river near Kishanpura village in Rajasthan’s Kota district, police said on Sunday.

    The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when the three people were taking a bath in the river’s overflowing water and catching fish, they said.

    Three persons — identified as Rahul Gujarati (23), Banti Jatav (42) and Babulal (45) — all residents of Gandhi Colony under the Baran Sadar police station area were swept away in deep water in the Parvati river on Saturday afternoon while they were bathing and catching fish, said SHO Ramvilas.

    The river’s water level reportedly suddenly began rising and the three persons, along with two others named Kishan and Neelu, were swept away by the strong current of the water, he added.

    The SHO said Kishan and Neelu somehow managed to reach the shore while the three others went missing.

    The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and civil defence teams began the search operation soon after the incident but the three missing have not yet been traced, he added.

    KOTA: Three people went missing after being swept away in the Parvati river near Kishanpura village in Rajasthan’s Kota district, police said on Sunday.

    The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when the three people were taking a bath in the river’s overflowing water and catching fish, they said.

    Three persons — identified as Rahul Gujarati (23), Banti Jatav (42) and Babulal (45) — all residents of Gandhi Colony under the Baran Sadar police station area were swept away in deep water in the Parvati river on Saturday afternoon while they were bathing and catching fish, said SHO Ramvilas.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The river’s water level reportedly suddenly began rising and the three persons, along with two others named Kishan and Neelu, were swept away by the strong current of the water, he added.

    The SHO said Kishan and Neelu somehow managed to reach the shore while the three others went missing.

    The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and civil defence teams began the search operation soon after the incident but the three missing have not yet been traced, he added.

  • MP: Death toll in Chambal river drowning rises to 7; all missing bodies traced

    By PTI

    MORENA: The death toll in the Chambal river drowning accident in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district rose to seven, after two more bodies were recovered on Monday, an official said.

    Two people drowned and five went missing when a group of 17 pilgrims were crossing the river on foot on their way to a temple in neighbouring Rajasthan on Saturday.

    With the latest recovery, bodies of all the missing persons have been traced, the official said.

    The bodies of Luvkush Singh (12), Brajmohan (17) were found on Monday, inspector Dharmendra Malviya of Tentra police station told PTI.

    Divers of the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force along with locals fished out the bodies, he said.

    The pilgrims from Chilwada village in Shivpuri district, heading for a fair in Kaila Devi Mandir in neighbouring Karauli district of Rajasthan, had attempted to cross the river on foot thinking that the water was shallow, officials said.

    The victims were swept away in a strong current, but 10 of them swam to safety.

    Seven survivors managed to reach the river bank on the Rajasthan side and three reached the Madhya Pradesh side, they said.

    Devkinandan (50) and Kallo Bai (45) drowned and their bodies were fished out on the same day, while bodies of Rukmani (24), Alopa Bai (45) and Rashmi (19) were found on Sunday.

    MORENA: The death toll in the Chambal river drowning accident in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district rose to seven, after two more bodies were recovered on Monday, an official said.

    Two people drowned and five went missing when a group of 17 pilgrims were crossing the river on foot on their way to a temple in neighbouring Rajasthan on Saturday.

    With the latest recovery, bodies of all the missing persons have been traced, the official said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The bodies of Luvkush Singh (12), Brajmohan (17) were found on Monday, inspector Dharmendra Malviya of Tentra police station told PTI.

    Divers of the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force along with locals fished out the bodies, he said.

    The pilgrims from Chilwada village in Shivpuri district, heading for a fair in Kaila Devi Mandir in neighbouring Karauli district of Rajasthan, had attempted to cross the river on foot thinking that the water was shallow, officials said.

    The victims were swept away in a strong current, but 10 of them swam to safety.

    Seven survivors managed to reach the river bank on the Rajasthan side and three reached the Madhya Pradesh side, they said.

    Devkinandan (50) and Kallo Bai (45) drowned and their bodies were fished out on the same day, while bodies of Rukmani (24), Alopa Bai (45) and Rashmi (19) were found on Sunday.

  • 11 feared drowned after boat capsizes in Varada river in Maharashtra’s Amravati district

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: At least 11 people were feared drowned after a boat capsized in Varada river in Maharashtra’s Amravati district on Tuesday, police said. Teams from the police and district disaster management authority have fished out three bodies, including that of a minor girl, from the river so far, an official said.

    The incident took place around 10:30 am at Hatrana village, under the jurisdiction of Benoda police station, where a boat carrying 11 people from three families capsized, he said. Prima facie, it appears that the boat was unable to sustain the weight of its occupants, he said, adding that the victims were going in the boat after performing a ritual on the banks of the river.

    While three bodies have been recovered so far, the search is underway for the others, the official said.

  • Four drown, seven missing after boat capsizes in Varada river in Maharashtra’s Amravati district

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Four people drowned and at least seven others were missing after their boat capsized in the Wardha river in Maharashtra’s Amravati district on Tuesday, police said. Two other boat occupants swam to safety, they said.

    The incident took place around 10:30 am in Warud tehsil under the jurisdiction of Benoda police station, when 12 members of some families from Gadegaon village along with the boatman were on way to a temple after visiting a waterfall nearby, a police official said.

    Prima facie, it appears that the boat was unable to sustain the weight of its occupants, he said. The victims had come to Zunj in Warud tehsil for the post-death rituals of a relative on Monday. On Tuesday morning, they all got on to the boat to visit a temple.

    However, the vessel capsized in the middle of the river, the official said. Two of its male occupants, aged 27 and 35, swam to safety, he said.

    Teams of the police and district disaster management authority have so far been fished out four bodies, and three of them were identified as boatman Narayan Matare (45), Wanshika Shivankar (2) and Kiran Khandale (25), the police said.

    Efforts were on to trace the other seven missing people, they said. Local MLA Devendra Bhuyar and Warud’s sub-divisional officer Nitin Hingole rushed to the spot to supervise the search and rescue operation.