Latehar (Jharkhand): Three children died after drowning in a pit filled with rainwater near a railway track in Jharkhand's Latehar district, police said on Friday.
The trio fell into the pit while playing near it in Nagda village under Balumath police station area. On information, DSP Ashutosh Satyam, police station in-charge Vikrant Upadhyay and officials from the local police station reached the spot.
It has been learnt that a large pit was dug by the railway department as part of a soil filling activity near the railway track and it was filled with rainwater. Villagers said three children were playing near the pit and accidentally fell into it. As soon as the local people came to know about the incident, they informed Balumath Police.
After this, they started draining out the rainwater with the help of a diesel pump. After a lot of effort, all three were taken out of the pit but they had died.
Villagers blamed the negligence of the railway department for the incident. They alleged that similar pits had been dug in several places and many animals had drowned after falling there. They demanded compensation for the families of the deceased and said that the pits have to be filled up immediately. Also, they have sought intervention of the district administration and demanded action against those guilty.
DSP Ashutosh Kumar Satyam said that a police team has reached the spot and the matter is being investigated.
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