Toddler drowns in bucket water near Chengalpet

CHENNAI: A 14-month-old boy drowned in water kept in a bucket outside his home at Melachery in Chengalpet district.

The deceased boy has been identified as M Augustine. He was the younger son of Manikandan, an electrician, and Joyce. The couple got married in 2019. Their elder son is four years old.

On Monday afternoon, Manikandan was out at work while Joyce was with the children at home. The woman sat outside the house and fed Augustine. After feeding him, she went inside and returned within seconds. When she was away, the boy fell into the water in a bucket. The bucket was kept under a public tap near the house.

She rescued the child and alerted her neighbours and family members. They rushed him to Chengalpet Govt Hospital, where he died on Tuesday night.

The Palur police registered a case.