Amaravati, Aug 20 (IANS) In a tragic incident, six children, including a girl, drowned in a pond in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in Chigeli village of Aspari mandal when the children, all students of Class 5 and aged around 10-11 years, entered the pond on the outskirts of the village to take a bath.

According to police, a group of seven students had gone to the pond. Six of them had entered the water. As the recent heavy rains had filled the pond, the children started drowning, and in the attempt to save one another, they all drowned. The lone survivor rushed to the village and informed the elders about the incident.

Villagers ran towards the pond and started searching for the children. All six were found dead.

The death of the children sent shock waves among villagers. Parents were inconsolable on seeing the dead bodies of their little ones.

On receipt of the information, the police rushed to the village. A case was registered and an investigation begun.

According to the police, the children had gone to the village school in the morning. After school, they headed towards the pond instead of returning home.

Minister for Roads and Buildings B. C. Janardhan Reddy has expressed shock over the tragedy.

He said the death of six children has saddened him. He termed the incident unfortunate and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to their parents.

The minister advised parents to keep a close watch on the movements of their children to avoid such tragedies.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed his profound grief over the death of six children.

He said that the death of the students due to drowning is tragic. He conveyed his condolences to the families of the deceased.

Jagan Mohan Reddy urged the government to provide financial assistance to the families of the deceased. He said the officials should take necessary precautionary measures to prevent such incidents.

The YSRCP chief also urged parents to keep an eye on their children.

–IANS

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