A five-year-old girl in Ranchi’s Hindpiri area drowned to death, when she slipped into an overflowing drain after heavy showers on Wednesday, exposing Ranchi Municipal Corporation’s (RMC) civic management. She was drifted away three kilometres from the spot where the incident occurred, as the police recovered her body near a crematorium in Chutia.
Hindipiri police station in-charge Brij Kumar said the girl was rushed to Guru Nanak Hospital, where she was declared brought dead.
The girl was identified as Phalak, daughter of Md Saddam, who works as a helper in a local shop. She was a kindergarten student at KV Academy. Police said her parents were not at home when the incident took place.
The incident took place when she was returning from tuition along with her two friends. “The girl was crossing a drain near a poultry farm of the area. She could not identify the drain due to overflow of water in heavy shower on Wednesday afternoon. She slipped into it, which was four-feet deep,” said Pappu Gaddi, a Hindpiri resident.
He said some local people who were present in the area tried to save her. A man, while extending his hand to pull her out, got hold of her school bag only and the girl swept away in the water stream, Gaddi said.
{{/usCountry}}He said some local people who were present in the area tried to save her. A man, while extending his hand to pull her out, got hold of her school bag only and the girl swept away in the water stream, Gaddi said.
{{/usCountry}}Local youths jumped into the drain and tried to find her out for more than four hours. The district administration also pressed in excavators in the rescue operation.
Residents of Hindpiri alleged lackadaisical approach on the part of district administration. “Despite informing the administration, the NDRF team could reach the place only after four hours,” Gaddi said.
When an NDRF official was asked, he said that the NDRF was informed three hours after the incident.