14-year-old boy bathing in pond at Waste to Wealth Park in Noida’s Sector 54 drowns

Following the incident, the Noida authority said it will not allow children to enter the park, unless accompanied by parents or adults

A 14-year-old boy died by drowning while taking a bath in a pond in Noida’s Sector 54’s Wetland Park on Tuesday afternoon, senior police officers said Wednesday.

The pond in Noida’s Sector 54 where the incident took place on Tuesday afternoon. Seeing the boy drown, his friends panicked and fled the place without alerting anyone. A passerby later found the body in the pond and alerted the park security and police. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Archive)

Following the incident, the Noida authority said it will not allow children to enter the park, unless accompanied by parents or adults.

Anand Mohan Singh, director, horticulture department, said, “There is a three metre high railing around the pond besides other safety measures. After Tuesday’s incident, children will no longer be permitted inside the park unless accompanied by parents or adults.”

Police said the incident took place around 1pm on Tuesday when the deceased and his four friends, all aged between 8 and 15, visited the Waste to Wealth Wetland Park in Sector 54.

“The deceased was a resident of Khoda village in Sector 22, Noida. He is survived by parents and a sister,” said Dhruv Bhusan Dubey , station house officer, Sector 24.

“After playing in the park for around an hour, the deceased and his friends decided to take bath in the pond at the park,” said Dubey, adding that while bathing, he went into the deeper end of the pond and drowned.

“His friends saw him drowning and got terrified. They left the spot without informing anyone about the incident. Around 3.30pm, when a visitor spotted the body floating in the water, he alerted park security and later, police were alerted,” said Dubey.

“A police team along with divers reached the spot and retrieved the body. By the time we were reached and fished him out, the boy had died. Subsequently, the body was sent for a post-mortem examination and his family members were alerted,” said the SHO.

Investigation revealed that the boy left for the park without informing anyone at home. His parents, who work as daily wagers, had gone out for work. “On Tuesday, the water level in the pond had increased due to incessant rain,” Dubey said.

No case has been registered in the matter as yet, police said.