Three boys drown in Yamuna

Three boys drowned in river Yamuna near southeast Delhi’s Okhla on Saturday afternoon.

They had jumped off the fenced barriers enacted at the river bank and were swept away by a strong current, said police.

The victims identified as Danish, 14, Faizal, 11, and Varish, 13, were fished out from the river by boat club divers at 5.50 pm. They were rushed to Holy Family Hospital where Faizal and Varish were declared brought dead. Danish died after some time in the ICU.

All the three were residents of Jamia Nagar’s Batla House. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem after which they will be handed over to their family members.

The fathers Varish and Faizal paint homes while Danish’s father works as a labourer, said police.

The incident happened around 4 pm when four friends from Jamia Nagar headed to the Yamuna for swim.

“It’s illegal to swim in the river. To stop the people from going near it, artificial barriers fenced with barbed wires have been erected in several places,” said a police officer.

“The three jumped off the barrier into the river while the fourth one stayed back,” he added.