2 girls drown in water-filled pit near Vaniyambadi

VANIYAMBADI: Two girls of the Government Higher Secondary School at Chikkanankuppam near Vaniyambadi drowned in a pool of stagnant water on the campus on Tuesday evening.

Sources said that a 10-foot pit was dug on the playground as part of ongoing road works near the school. Meanwhile, during the recent rains the pit got filled up . Monika (10), a Class 5 student and daughter of Raja a daily wage earner, along with Rajalakshmi (13), a Cclass 9 student, daughter of Velu, and Manivel (7) after returning home from schoolwent back to school to play in stagnant water.

All three got into the water, but realising that the pit was too deep, Manivel came out while the other two were unable to and drowned. Manivel raised an alarm and locals retrieved the two and rushed them to the Vaniyambadi GH where they were declared dead. Ambalur police registered a case and sent bodies for post-mortem.

Following the accident relatives and parents refused to accept the bodies and staged a sit-in front of the police station demanding action against the school officials and the contractor.relented only after revenue officials promised immediate action. Vaniyambadi AIADMK MLA G Senthil Kumar paid his respects to the dead.