6 boys drown during Ganesh idol immersion in lake in Telangana

Six boys drowned after falling into a lake during Ganesh idol immersion at a village near here on Wednesday evening, police said.

Eight boys staying at a hostel run by a charitable trust at Pedda Kanjarla village, fell into the lake during the immersion, they said.

While two managed to come out, six others drowned. It is suspected that loose mud in the lake led to the tragedy.

A police constable who was nearby performed CPR on the victims, but they could not be revived, a police official told PTI.

The lake was isolated and there were no adults around who could have tried to rescue the boys, he said.

Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and several other leaders condoled the deaths.

Expressing grief, the Governor said the devotees should exercise caution during processions and idol immersions.

The Chief Minister directed officials to take appropriate precautionary measures during the immersion of idols.

Revanth Reddy also asked the officials to extend assistance to the families of the deceased.