CANACONA: Tragedy struck Canacona on Saturday afternoon as two young boys drowned in the river at Ozrem, Dhupemol. The victims identified as Dhruv Wadkar (5), a resident of New Vaddem, Dhupemol, and Rigved Naik (10), a native of Karwar, Karnataka, had reportedly ventured out of their homes to bathe in the river without informing their families.
According to police, the incident was reported around 1:09 pm following a call received from PCR, Margao.
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Sources stated that the children had gone towards the river, located about half a kilometre from their homes. While two of them entered the water and drowned, another child present at the spot rushed back to alert family members. Locals, however, claimed that four children had gone to the river without their parents’ knowledge.
Locals later fished the boys out of the water and rushed them to the Community Health Centre (CHC), Canacona, where they were declared brought dead.
Both bodies were subsequently sent for post-mortem examination. Medical findings confirmed that the cause of death was “asphyxia due to drowning in water.”
Preliminary inquiry revealed that the children had gone to bathe in the river when the incident occurred. Police registered a case of unnatural death under relevant provisions and stated that no foul play is suspected. Further investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, locals have expressed concern over a possible sudden rise in the river’s water level, allegedly due to release from an upstream bundh, which they believe may have led to the tragedy.
