Four-year-old drowns in swimming pool in Virugambakkam

CHENNAI: A four-year-old boy drowned at a swimming pool at a gated community in Virugambakkam on Monday.

The deceased S Hariharan accompanied his aunt Usha to the Jains Ashraya apartments in Virugambakkam where she works as a house help to Ram-Yamuna couple.

The incident happened around 11 am on Monday when Hariharan was playing near the swimming pool inside the apartment complex with the two children of Ram-Yamuna couple.

Police said that the apartment's association recently decided to use the swimming pool, which remained closed since 2020 due to the pandemic, and had filled the water on Sunday. Though the pool had reportedly been barricaded, children gained entry near the pool through a gap.

Hariharan suddenly slipped and fell into the pool and the other two children raised an alarm. The security guard of the apartment rushed to the spot and jumped into the pool and rescued Hariharan.

Since he was unconscious, a doctor named Vidya living in the same apartment gave her first aid after which he was taken to the nearby private hospital and then to the Government Royapettah Hospital. But he was declared brought dead around 1 pm.

On information, K K Nagar police registered a case and sent his body for post-mortem examination.

Police said that Hariharan is the lone of Senthil Kumar and Valarmathi couple. Senthil Kumar collects scraps at doorstep and Valarmathi works as a house maid. Since it was summer holidays for Hariharan, he had been accompanying his aunt Usha to the apartment to play with children, said police.