UDUPI: Two 13-year-old girls drowned after accidentally slipping into a pond while washing clothes at Kopparige Gudde in Hosadu village of Kundapura taluk on Sunday evening, October 25. Both girls were Class 7 students at Hosadu Government School and belonged to families originally from Haveri district.
The deceased were identified as Sunitha, daughter of Chandru Basavaraj Veshagar and Manjakalu, and Vaishali, daughter of the late Manjunath and Sharada. Their families were living in a temporary hut at Mullikatte.
Girls slipped into Kadubina Kere
According to reports, five children from the settlement went to Kadubina Kere at Kopparige Gudde around 4 pm on Sunday to wash clothes.
While Sunitha and Vaishali were washing clothes on the bank, they reportedly lost their footing and fell into the pond. Both drowned before they could be rescued.
The incident left the families devastated. The deaths of the two schoolgirls plunged their relatives and the local community into grief.
Rescue teams rush to the spot
After receiving information about the incident, a rescue operation was launched with the assistance of local emergency response teams.
A team led by Dinesh Kharvi, a diving expert from Gangolli, members of the Team HI emergency response team, personnel from the Kundapura Fire and Emergency Services and Gangolli police reached the spot.
The rescuers worked together to retrieve the bodies from the pond. An ambulance belonging to Gangolli’s Sri Veereshwara Seva Trust transported the bodies to Kundapura Government Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Gangolli police inspect the scene
Gangolli Police Station personnel, led by Police Sub-Inspector Pavan Nayak, visited the location and inspected the scene.
The incident occurred when the children had gone to the pond for a routine household activity. The exact circumstances of the drowning are subject to police inquiry.
The deaths have brought attention to the safety risks children may face around ponds and other water bodies, particularly when they visit without adequate supervision. The incident has left the families mourning the loss of two young lives.