New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) The body of one of the four children who drowned while bathing in the Yamuna River near the Alipur area of New Delhi has been recovered, bringing the total number of bodies found to three, while the search for the last one is underway, officials said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred at around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday when four boys went missing after drowning due to strong currents of the Yamuna River near Thokar No. 24 in Hiranki village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Alipur police station in Outer North Delhi.

Two bodies had been recovered on Sunday itself.

“Four minors had drowned in the Yamuna River in the Alipur police station area on Sunday. One child’s body has been recovered, while search operations for the other one are underway,” East Delhi Boat Club In-charge Harish told IANS.

According to the Delhi Fire Service, a joint rescue operation involving the Delhi Fire Service, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other agencies was launched soon after the incident was reported.

Following several hours of intensive search, two bodies were recovered from the river on Sunday. The search operation continued until around 10.30 p.m. before being suspended because of poor visibility and darkness.

Local authorities have sealed off the area and appealed to residents not to venture into the Yamuna, warning that the river’s water level remains dangerously high and the currents are extremely strong.

In a separate similar incident, two boys aged 8 and 10 drowned in a water-filled pit in Mukhmelpur village on Sunday. Police said they received information about the incident at 6.08 p.m., while the Delhi Fire Services received the alert at 5.55 p.m.

The children were pulled out of the pit by local residents and immediately rushed to Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra (SRHC) Hospital in Narela. However, doctors declared both boys brought dead on arrival.

According to an official, the preliminary inquiry revealed that the children had gone to play in agricultural fields behind a house at around 4 p.m. when they accidentally fell into the water-filled pit, which had been excavated to collect excess rainwater from nearby fields.

Police said the pit had been created for drainage purposes and to temporarily store excess rainwater from surrounding agricultural land. Investigators suspect that the excavation site may not have been properly secured, making it hazardous for children living in the area.

–IANS

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