Two Ludhiana girls drown in Sutlej, two die saving them

TRAGEDY The girls, all aged 12 or 13, were plucking fruits from trees along the banks of the river when the mishap occurred

KIDS PLAYING NEARBY ALERTED VILLAGERS; BUT, THE CHILDREN HAD DIED BY THE TIME POLICE INITIATED RESCUE OPERATION

LUDHIANA : Four minor girls, including two cousins, drowned in Sutlej river near Goraiyan village in Sidhwan Bet on Friday evening.

Police said the girls, all aged 12 or 13, were plucking fruits from trees along the banks of the river when the mishap occurred.

The deceased have been identified as Kulwinder Kaur, 12, her cousin, Manjinder Kaur, 13, and their two friends, Gagandeep Kaur, 13, and Suman Kaur, 13. They were all students of Classes 5 and 6 at a local government school.

Their parents are daily wagers.

Inspector Rajesh Thakur, SHO at Sidhwan Bet police station, said while two girls slipped and fell in the water while plucking fruits, the other two lost their balance and drowned while trying to rescue them.

Some children playing near the river raised the alarm, following which villagers alerted the police. The police initiated rescue operation, but the children had died by then. The bodies were later fished out in the evening with the help of villagers and sent to the Ludhiana civil hospital for autopsy.

Kulwinder’s father Mukhtiar Singh told the police that the children often used to play near the river. He said his daughter was a Class-6 student and wanted to be a teacher.

Police have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure following the statements of the deceased’s family members.