New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) Six minor boys are feared to have drowned in two separate incidents reported from Outer Delhi, officials said on Monday.

While four boys went missing after being swept away by the strong currents of the Yamuna River in the Alipur area, two other children allegedly drowned in a rainwater-filled excavation pit in Mukhmelpur village on Sunday.

In the first incident, four children were reportedly swept away while bathing in the Yamuna River near Thokar No. 24 in Hiranki village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Alipur police station in Outer North Delhi.

Rescue teams later recovered the bodies of two boys, while the search for the remaining two children remains underway.

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, the bodies of two boys were recovered from the river.

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 the second incident, which occurred near Hiranki Road in Mukhmelpur village, two minor boys, aged eight and ten, allegedly drowned after falling into a rainwater-filled excavation pit.

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.

According to police, the eight-year-old victim was a resident of Uttarakhand Colony and the son of a driver. The 10-year-old boy lived in Haiderpur and had been staying with his uncle after the death of his father.

The bodies of both children have been shifted to the mortuary at Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial (BJRM) Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Officials said an FIR has been registered under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to causing death by negligence, and further investigation is underway.

They added that investigators are also examining the role and responsibility of the person entrusted with maintaining the rainwater-filled excavation pit where the incident occurred.

–IANS

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