In a tragic incident, five engineering students from Hyderabad drowned in the Kondapochamma Sagar reservoir in Siddipet district on Saturday while attempting to take a selfie.
The incident occurred in the Markuk block of the reservoir, part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, approximately 40 km from Hyderabad.
The victims have been identified as Dhanush (20), Sahil (19), Lohith (17), Ch Dhaneshwar (17), and Jatin (17). They were students of an engineering college in Meerpet, Hyderabad.
Two members of the group have been rescued: Komari Mrigank (20) and Md Ibrahim (17). Both are now receiving treatment in a hospital at Secunderabad.
Siddipet police commissioner B. Anuradha said the children visited the reservoir, which is a tourist spot, for a holiday. “They didn’t follow safety measures and entered the water. They were holding hands and trying to click a selfie. They slipped accidently,” said the commissioner.
Panic spread to the other tourists, who immediately alerted the police and rescue teams. Local villagers and authorities responded swiftly to rescue the students, but five lives could not be saved. Their bodies were sent to a government hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy condoled the accident and instructed the district authorities to keep a tab on the incident and provide needed relief.
Drowning incidents at tourist places have been on a rise and the need for better safety measures is being rumoured by people.
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