Police confirmed the deaths of six boys after a group of eight entered a lake at Pedda Kanjarla village on Wednesday evening. The teenagers, residents of a hostel run by a local charitable trust, fell into the water while participating in the immersion of a Ganesh idol. Two boys managed to swim to safety, but the other six succumbed to the elements.
The tragedy appears to be linked to the lake's treacherous terrain. Police suspect the loose mud at the bottom trapped the victims, making it impossible to escape the suction of the water. A nearby police constable attempted CPR on the boys immediately after they were pulled from the lake, but the efforts failed to revive them. The isolation of the water body compounded the danger, as no adults were present to coordinate a rescue.
State leadership reacted swiftly to the incident. Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla expressed grief, urging devotees to exercise extreme caution during processions and immersions to prevent such accidents. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed officials to extend assistance to the victims' families and mandated that precautionary measures be implemented for all future idol immersions.
The next critical step involves the state administration deploying safety personnel at water bodies during upcoming religious festivals. Officials are currently assessing the structural integrity of the lake area to determine if physical barriers or warning signs are required to prevent similar tragedies.