11-yr-old drowns in flooded pit near Tambaram in Chennai

Police said the children came across a land where they spotted milkweed plants and started plucking the flowers. Suddenly, Vishwa allegedly slipped and fell into a pit filled with rainwater.

Vishwa (inset) drowned in a pit filled with rainwater while plucking flowers for Vinayakar Chathurthi near Tambaram Sanatorium railway station.

CHENNAI: An 11-year-old boy drowned in a 10-foot deep pit filled with rainwater while plucking flowers for Vinayakar Chaturthi, near Tambaram Sanatorium railway station, on Saturday. Police said the land, on which the pit is located, belongs to the railways and has been leased out to a school, but remains unused.

The boy was identified as K Vishwa, a Class 5 student. On Saturday evening, Vishwa and his friends set out to pluck milkweed flowers, considered auspicious for Vinayakar Chaturthi, in the locality.

Police said the children came across a land where they spotted milkweed plants and started plucking the flowers. Suddenly, Vishwa allegedly slipped and fell into a pit filled with rainwater. His friends raised an alarm and passersby rushed to the spot. On information, the police and Tambaram fire and rescue department personnel arrived at the scene. Vishwa’s body was recovered and sent to the Chromepet Government Hospital for postmortem.

The police said, “The land has been leased out to Velammal School and has a compound wall on only one side.” A probe is on.