Nagaland: Tragedy strikes twice in drowning cases

DIMAPUR — Two separate drowning incidents were reported on Sunday, claiming the lives of a child and a youth.

In the first case, a four-year-old boy drowned in a fishery pond at Chekiye village around 6 am.

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) commander Chümoukedima, Angukato K Yeptho, informed that the team reached the site at 9 am, launched a search operation, and recovered the body at approximately 1.20 pm.

At the time of the incident, the victim was with his six-year-old brother near the pond. The deceased, belonging to the Khiamniungan tribe, has been handed over to the family.

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In another incident the same morning, a 22-year-old youth drowned in the Dhansiri River near Thahekhu Block-7 around 9 am.

Yeptho said that the victim, accompanied by his sister, had gone to collect edible snails when he accidentally drowned. His sister attempted to rescue him by extending a stick but was unsuccessful.

The SDRF team could not retrieve the body before nightfall, and the search operation was suspended. Recovery efforts are set to resume on Monday at 6 am.