Two boys drown in pond in Annamayya district

Vijayawada: Two boys drowned while swimming in a pond at Nadimirajugaripalle village in Sambepalli mandal of Annamayya district on Sunday afternoon. The victims were identified as Likhith (11), son of Mulaguri Janardhan Naidu and Sujana of Nadimirajugaripalle, and Mokshith (13), son of Raghupathi Naidu and Sumalatha from Madanapalle.Police said Sumalatha and Sujana are sisters. During the Dasara holidays, Sumalatha's family had come to visit Sujana's home in Nadimirajugaripalle. On Sunday, the two cousins went to play near a pond on the village outskirts. While swimming, they reportedly slipped into deeper waters and drowned.Villagers launched a search after noticing the boys were missing. Despite efforts to rescue them, both had already succumbed by the time their bodies were recovered.The incident cast a pall of gloom over the village. Grief-stricken parents and relatives broke down as the bodies were brought home. Police registered a case of accidental death. The bodies were sent for postmortem and later handed over to the families.