3 kids drown in waterlogged pit in Balotra’s village

Jaisalmer: Three young boys lost their lives after drowning in a sewage drain in a village near Pachpadra of Balotra district Tuesday. The victims, identified as 7-year-old Sohan, 8-year-old Kishan, and 9-year-old Vikas, were confirmed dead after being retrieved from the muddy pit.Balotra Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rajesh Kumar said that authorities received an alert around 4pm regarding the incident. The boys had fallen into a water-filled pit near a Bhil settlement in Mandapura village. Emergency responders pumped out the water to recover the bodies, which were then transported to the Pachpadra Community Health Centre (CHC) where doctors pronounced them dead.According to Gram Panchayat Administrator Dalaram Prajapat, the boys were playing in an empty lot around 100 meters from their home when they accidentally fell into the pit, which was filled with water and mud after recent rains. Concerned about their absence, the children’s families began searching for them and soon located their slippers in the muddy water. Fearing the worst, they promptly notified the police and local authorities.The incident drew a large crowd of villagers who gathered to help with recovery efforts. Many expressed their outrage and called for the local administration to implement improved safety measures around open drains and waterlogged areas to prevent future tragedies. “We urge the administration to take immediate action to enhance safety and ensure such incidents do not happen again,” voiced a concerned resident.Pachpadra police station house officer Geeta Kumari said, “The bodies have been kept in the mortuary. We will take further steps after receiving the family members’ report.”