A tragic incident unfolded in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district after a 19-year-old youth drowned while attempting to film an Instagram reel in a village pond, police said.
Boat capsizes during reel shoot
The deceased has been identified as Dev Tiwari, a resident of Banjariya village. The incident occurred on Sunday evening at around 4.30 pm at a pond in Ghatera village.
According to preliminary information, Dev had gone to the pond along with three friends. The group reportedly boarded a small makeshift boat constructed using logs from the edge of the pond and moved towards the middle to shoot a video for social media.
While filming the Instagram reel, the boat is believed to have lost balance and capsized, throwing all four youths into the water.
Friends rescued, one goes under
Police said Dev’s three friends knew how to swim and managed to stay afloat. Their cries for help alerted nearby villagers, who rushed to the spot and rescued them using tubes and other floating objects.
However, Dev, who reportedly did not know swimming, drowned before help could reach him.
Local residents later retrieved his body from the pond. He was declared dead at the scene.
Police probe and safety warning
Police reached the spot soon after being informed and shifted the body for post-mortem examination. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events.
Officials said the incident highlights the growing risks associated with filming social media content in unsafe locations without adequate safety measures.
Rising concern over reel-related accidents
In recent months, several similar incidents have been reported across the country, where young people have suffered serious injuries or lost their lives while attempting risky stunts or videos for social media.
Police and local authorities have repeatedly urged youngsters to prioritise safety and avoid dangerous locations while filming reels or short videos.