Vijayawada: 5 missing kids found dead in Munneru

Vijayawada: Five children who went missing in Eturu village of Chandarlapadu mandal in Krishna district since Monday were found dead in Munneru rivulet on Tuesday. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and the local fishermen traced the bodies of the children in the rivulet. Four of the victims were studying Class VII while one was studying Class IX in local ZP high school.

As Sankranti holidays were declared, the five children, Gurajala Charan, 14, Karla Bala Yesu, 12, Jetti Ajay, 12, M Rakesh, 11 and Maguluri Sunny, 12, went to the rivulet for swimming after parking their bicycles near the rivulet while their parents were working in agriculture fields.

When the children did not return home in the evening, the family members and the local villagers suspected that they might have drowned in the rivulet and lodged a complaint with the police. The NDRF teams and local fishermen started the search and finally found the bodies one by one. The small village of Eturu was shocked over the tragedy.

The family members said they were unaware of the children going to the rivulet. Most of the villagers are poor and earn livelihood as farm workers. The villagers could not control the inconsolable parents.

Nandigama MLA M Jagan Mohan visited the village and supervised the search operations. He expressed deep condolences over the tragic death of the children and announced Rs 50,000 immediate assistance to the families.

The MLA said the children might not have understood the gravity of danger and ventured into the waters. During the rainy season, the rivulet swells with rain water. As there were no rains, the water stagnated in the rivulet. The children might have tried to swim but drowned as they could not fathom the level of water. The villagers demanded that the government announce ex gratia to the kin of the deceased. Chandarlapadu police handed over the bodies to the parents.