2 boys drown in Haiderpur canal amid strong post-rain currents: Delhi Police

The victims, aged 9 and 13, drowned in Delhi’s Haiderpur canal on Sunday. Swept by strong currents, they were found dead hours later. Police termed the incident accidental.

Two boys, aged nine and 13, drowned while swimming in the Haiderpur canal in northwest Delhi on Sunday evening, police said. Initial inquiry suggests they were swept away by the strong current triggered by recent rains, investigators said.

Searches were carried out with the help of locals, and the boys’ bodies were recovered at night. (Getty Images)

The victims, identified as Aniket Kumar (9) and Krishan Kumar (13), were neighbours.

Police said the children had gone to the canal around 4pm on Sunday when their fathers, both daily-wage labourers, were away at work. “Locals saw the boys enter the canal to swim. Soon after, they struggled against the strong current and disappeared underwater. Their families returned in the evening and, unable to find them, informed the police between 9pm and 10pm,” a senior officer said.

Searches were carried out with the help of locals, and the boys’ bodies were recovered at night. They were rushed to BJRM Hospital, where doctors declared them dead. Deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Bhisham Singh said, “The deaths appear accidental. A post-mortem will be conducted, and further investigation is underway.”

Both boys had lost their mothers years earlier. Aniket is survived by his father and two elder brothers, while Krishan is survived by his father, an elder brother, a younger brother, and a sister. Relatives said the families had repeatedly warned the boys not to visit the canal without adults, but they had gone despite the risk.

The deaths are the latest in a series of drowning incidents reported in Delhi over the past week – coinciding with the Yamuna flowing at a high level due to rains in uphill states, which has even led to flooding in parts of the city. On Friday, a 14-year-old boy drowned in the Yamuna floodwaters in Shastri Park while trying to catch fish with his friends. Two days earlier, a 45-year-old milkman, Ombir Singh, was swept away in Garhi Medu village when he slipped into the Yamuna while attempting to rescue his cow.