Two boys drown in rainwater-filled pond in northwest Delhi

Two boys aged 17 allegedly drowned in a rainwater-filled pond at a vacant land in northwest Delhi’s Prem Nagar on Friday after heavy rainfall, police said.
According to the families of the deceased, the boys were playing cricket near the land. The incident occurred when they had gone to look for their ball near the pond.
Deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Guriqbal Singh Sidhu said that the deceased were identified as Divyansh Kumar and Mayank Kumar, both residents of Prem Nagar.
“We received information at around 8.20pm from Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital regarding the death of two boys. A team immediately reached the spot and were informed by doctors that the two were brought with a case of drowning, and they were declared dead,” the DCP said.
During inquiry, Sidhu said that it was revealed that the boys had drowned in a pond which was formed due to rainwater at DDA land opposite Rani Khera bus depot while bathing. The vacant land where the incident occurred is under the possession of Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC).
Delhi Development Authority in a statement said, “The incident is tragic and painful and we offer our deepest condolences.
Legal action has been initiated in the matter, the DCP said.
Meanwhile, people known to the deceased said that the duo were playing near the ground and had gone to look for their ball. Their neighbour Vishal Thakur, 31, said that the boys were playing in the dry area near the pond when their ball fell into it. “Two boys went first and they started to slip. Mayank and Divyansh then went to save them and started drowning themselves. Other boys who were playing then raised an alarm. People rescued two of them but they couldn’t save Mayank and Divyansh,” Thakur said.
While police were informed, locals recovered the bodies of the deceased from the pond. According to locals, the pond was over 15 feet deep.
Locals alleged that people die every year due to waterlogging in the area, as water gets filled in the open ground during monsoon season. “There is no drainage system in the area. This DDA land is an open ground which gets filled every time it rains. There are at least four-five deaths every monsoon in this area because of water logging,” Thakur said.