Three boys, among a group of eight, died after drowning in a pond on a hillock near Achchalu village on the outskirts of Ramanagara on Friday (May 17). This comes a day after four children drowned in a tank in Alur taluk, Hassan district, on Thursday.
The deceased are Shabaz Khan, 13, Rihan Khan, 16, sons of Sardar Khan, and Syed Shahid, 14, son of Mubeen. The boys are residents of Phoolbagh Mohalla and neighbours. Police said Shahid was studying in class 6, Shabaz in class 8, and Rihan was promoted to class 10.
They had gone to attend Friday prayers and, along with five others, went to the pond, which is approximately 1.5 km away from their homes.
According to the police, the incident occurred around 3 p.m. The boys climbed to the hilltop and found the pond filled with water due to recent rains. The area was slippery, and the boys decided to swim without realizing the depth of the water, police said.
While the others were about to stop them, the three jumped into the water and soon started drowning. The friends shouted and ran towards the main road to get help from a tea stall.
But it was too late. The police, along with Fire and Emergency Services personnel, reached the spot and retrieved the bodies.