Daijiworld Media Network - Tumakuru (SP)

Tumakuru, Jul 8: In a tragic incident which occurred at Rangapura in Sira taluk of the district on Thursday July 7, two children and their father drowned in an agricultural pit and lost their lives. The deceased were Sakshiyappa (48) from Gollarahalli village and his children, Naveenkumar (13) and Darshan (11).

Naveenkumar was a ninth standard student of SMR High School, Pattanayakanahalli. Darshan was a fifth standard student of government higher primary school. As there was holiday for school on Thursday on account of Eid, the children had accompanied their father for grazing of the sheep.

As both the brothers were thirsty in the late afternoon, they approached the agricultural pit located in the field of Nagaraja Gowda. Water was stored in the pit by spreading plastic sheet covering the bottom and inner walls of the pit. Naveenkumar went down the pit to fetch drinking water duly holding the hand of his brother, when he slipped. As a result, both the children fell down, embracing each other. Hearing their shouts, Sakshiyappa rushed there and jumped into the pit to save his children. He could not come out of the pit purportedly because there was plastic cover on all sides and there was no support for his feet to climb the edges and come out of the pit.