MP: Four girls drown in Omkareshwar canal while taking bath

Four girls died in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district on Wednesday after they drowned in the Omkareshwar dam canal passing nearby. The deceased were residents of Sadhvi Pitambara's ashram.

Khandwa:Four Class-5 girl students died in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district on Wednesday after they drowned in the Omkareshwar dam canal while taking bath. The deceased were residents of Sadhvi Pitambara's ashram cum boarding school. The incident occurred at around 6 am, when the group went to the canal to have a bath.

According to information, the girls were trying to get down into the canal using a chain installed on the bank, when one among the group slipped and fell into the stream. Seeing their companion battling to stay steady amid rough currents, another girl went in to save the former but could not succeed. This was followed by the rest getting down and facing similar peril.

The police were summoned by locals who arrived at the ghat hearing distressed screams. Subsequently, police personnel from Mandhata and Mortakka outposts arrived with divers to conduct the rescue operation. Through an hour-long operation, two among the group were saved. The other four, however, drowned in the canal.

The deceased were identified as Vaishali (12), Kanchan Ramesh (11), Pratiksha Chania (12), and Divyanshi Chetak (10). The bodies were sent to Omkareshwar hospital after retrieval. Khandwa SDPO Rakesh Pendra said that an investigation had been launched into the incident.