Vijayawada: An 11-year-old boy studying in fifth grade at a private school and school bus cleaner died after drowning in a water pond located near agricultural fields close to Pulipadu village in Gurazala mandal of Palnadu district on Monday.
The incident allegedly occurred when the bus driver stopped near a nursery pond to fill the vehicle’s radiator with water.
According to A Bhaskar, inspector at Gurazala Town Police Station, Kuncha Subhash (11), a resident of Pulipadu, was picked up by his school bus on Monday morning. After travelling a certain distance, the driver stopped the bus and asked the cleaner, Pappula Koteshwara Rao (50), to get water to fill the vehicle’s radiator on the village outskirts.
“When Rao went to get water in a plastic can, Subhash accompanied him. Rao filled a can from the bank of the pond and asked Subhash to hold it while he wanted to fill another can. However, the boy slipped and fell on Rao, causing both of them to fall into the water and drown. The driver, who noticed the incident, screamed for help, but by the time locals managed to pull out the duo, they drowned,” the inspector told TOI.
Upon receiving information, police rushed to the spot and shifted the bodies to a govt hospital. A case has been registered and investigation is underway.
