Maharashtra: Two-year-old dies after falling into sewage-filled trench in Pune, contractor booked

Representational image. File pic

In an extremely unfortunate incident, a two-year-old boy died after he fell into a nearly three-foot-deep trench filled with rainwater and sewage in Maharashtra's Pune district. Days after the incident, police booked the contractor, officials said on Friday.

Police officials, while briefing about the incident, said that the incident occurred on Tuesday, June 30, at Kadamwak Wasti in the Loni gram panchayat area, as per PTI.

According to police, the trench had been dug alongside a drain to facilitate the flow of rainwater; as a result, rainwater and sewage had accumulated in it.

The toddler, who lived in a nearby settlement, accidentally fell into it while playing, said officials.

Hours after realizing that the toddler had been missing, his parents began searching for him. Subsequently, his body was recovered from the trench.

A case has been registered against the contractor for alleged negligence in failing to provide adequate safety measures at the site, said officials, adding that further investigation is underway.

17-year-old boy feared drowned at Mumbai's Aksa Beach

In a separate incident, earlier on June 26, a 17-year-old boy is feared to have drowned at Aksa Beach in Mumbai's Malad West on Friday, prompting a multi-agency search operation that was later called off for the day.

According to preliminary information, the incident was reported at 3.53 pm from the stretch of Aksa Beach located between INS Hamla and Shitala Devi Temple.

Following the alert, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) launched a search operation to trace the teenager.

At the request of the fire brigade, the Indian Navy was also informed to mobilize a rescue team. Personnel from the Mumbai Police, the Mumbai Fire Brigade, and a 108 ambulance service were deployed at the spot.

Officials said the search operation continued for several hours before being called off at 8.19 pm. Further details are awaited.

A 20-year-old drowns while swimming in a water-filled quarry in Thane

Earlier in June, a 20-year-old man drowned in a water-filled quarry in the Diva area in Maharashtra's Thane after misjudging the depth of the water while swimming, officials said.

The incident was reported at 8.33 pm on June 8 near Marathon Tower, alongside the railway tracks in the Betawade area of Diva.

According to officials, the victim, identified as Monu Solanki, had entered the quarry for a swim when he drowned after losing his bearings in the deep water.