Five Class X students drown in NSP canal

The bodies of four of the five Class X students who drowned in the Vazeerabad major canal under Nagarjunasagar Left Bank Canal were fished out on Tuesday. Though the body of one of them, Mereddy Naveen Reddy (15), was fished out on Monday evening, no one initially thought that four other boys had also drowned at the same place. The news came to light late on Monday night when these four boys failed to return home.All the five deceased were students of SPR High School and were identified as Udati Mahesh, Eluru Sai Kumar, Pagilla Karthik and B.Shiva, all residents of Miryalaguda town.

Swept away by current

Miryalaguda Rural Inspector B.Sriram Reddy told The Hindu that after participating in Holi revelry in the town near their houses these five boys went for a bath in the canal near Chillapuram village along with some other friends who were playing separately. As none of them knew swimming, they were swept away by the strong current in the canal. As some people nearby saw Naveen Reddy drowning, they reported the matter to the police and also informed the boys’ parents. One body was spotted floating at a little distance away. But none had information that the remaining four children also drowned at the same place until their parents complained late on Monday as the boys failed to return home. The police then enquired with their classmates who informed that all the five had disappeared after going for a swim in the canal.

Water release stopped

The police asked the Left Bank canal officials to stop the release of water into the canal and deployed a team of divers who fished out the bodies by afternoon on Tuesday. The parents, kin and children of the school wept inconsolably as five boys had died on a single day. A case was registered.

2 go missing after boat capsizes

Guntur Staff Reporter adds: A boat carrying seven passengers from Bodhanam village of Guntur district to Repalle village in Nalgonda district capsized in the Krishna on Monday night, authorities said. Two youths identified as Perupogu Vijay (16) and Asada Daveedu (19), hailing from Bodhanam in Bellamkonda mandal, were missing, while five other passengers swam to safety. Police have sought the help of expert swimmers to trace the bodies.