pit while trying to rescue each other
Lucknow: Four children, including two siblings, drowned in a large pit filled with rainwater in Kurari village of Hardoi district on Thursday morning. According to police, the pit was dug up two months ago by a contractor who had been sublet the Ganga Expressway work.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has conveyed his condolences to the family and expressed grief over the incident. He has directed officials to provide compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the victims.
The deceased were identified as nine-year-old Mustaqeem, Khushnuma, 12, Azmat, 11, and Saddam 12 — all from Kurari village. Mustaqeem and Khushnuma were siblings.
The children who died were from three families, said Sagir Ahmed, a local resident.
The families of the victims were inconsolable. Shaukeen lost his son and daughter. Sabir, who lost his son Saddam, said he had a dream of making him an officer. Bhito, who lost his only son, said he was the only literate person in the family.
Police said a construction company had dug up the large pit two months ago to carry out work under the Ganga Expressway project and it got filled with rainwater. The children were playing near it when Mustaqeem fell into the pit and started drowning. The other three children jumped into the pit one by one to save him but all four drowned, said circle officer, Shahabad, Hemant Upadhyay.
“The company had dug out mud from Kurari village with the permission of locals and the revenue department,” said the CO. He added that the revenue department will probe whether the pit was dug more than the sanctioned limit and all norms were followed. Police are inspecting the village to find if there are more such rainwater filled pits.
Village pradhan informed UP 112 about the incident around 11.30am. A police team reached the spot and fished out the bodies with the help of villagers.
