4 class 10 students drown in Nandini river in Mangaluru

Mangaluru: Four students drowned in the Nandini river at Karithota in Haleyangady on Tuesday.

According to the police, the deceased are Yashwith (15), son of Chandrakanth from Agaramelu; Raghavendra (15), son of Vasanth from Thokoor; Niroop (15), son of Vishwanath from Guddakoppala in Surathkal; and Anwith (15), son of Devadas from Chitrapura.

The students, after completing their English paper in the state-level preparatory examination held on February 27 at Vidyadayini High School in Surathkal, left at 1.30 pm with six friends from the same class to the spot. As the children failed to reach home, family members started enquiring with the school, and later, a missing complaint was registered at Surathkal station.

Based on the CCTV footage, the police realised that they had travelled by bus and alighted at Haleyangadi.

Based on information received from two other students who also accompanied the deceased, the police zeroed in on the spot of the incident. The school bags were found on the banks of the river. The bodies were retrieved at around 12.30 am by the police and swimmers. It is said that the children did not know how to swim.

The spot where the incident took place is slippery and filled with slush. Children might have failed to judge the depth of the water while entering the silt.

The school has decided to pay Rs 10,000 each to the families.

Yashwith’s mother is an anganwadi helper. He is the eldest son and has a sister.

Niroop's father works in the fire safety wing of a petrochemical industry, and his mother rolls beedi for a living. He was the only child, and it was his father, Vishwanath, who filed a missing complaint with the police.

Anwith’s father works in a bank, and his mother, Shobha, is a homemaker. While Devadas was on duty, he received a call about his son failing to return home. Anwith's uncle Rohith Devadiga said that Anwith was good at academics and extracurricular activities, including artwork. Though his house was near the seashore, he never used to enter the water. He was also a lone child, he said.

Raghavendra’s uncle Shashikumar said that his father, Vasanth, used to put up stalls during temple fairs to earn a living. However, he had suffered from a stroke last year and is now at home.

Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, who visited the mortuary and consoled the family members, said that he would speak to the Deputy Commissioner to consider it as a special case and hand over compensation to the families of the deceased children. "It is a tragedy that four children have lost their lives," he added.

MLA Dr. Y Bharath Shetty condoled the death of the students. He said, "Education department officials and district administration officials will be asked to visit the family members as I am in Bengaluru. I will speak to the Home Minister and request maximum compensation for the families of the deceased children."

He appealed to the students to focus on their safety during their studies.