Three Hyderabad siblings drown in Godavari while taking holy dip near Basar

Three siblings from Hyderabad drowned in the Godavari river near Basar in Nirmal district while taking a holy dip before visiting the Sri Gnana Saraswathi temple. Police said strong currents swept them away as they attempted to rescue one another

Nirmal: In a tragic incident, three siblings from Hyderabad, who were on a pilgrimage, drowned in the Godavari River while taking a dip near Basar on Tuesday.

Basar Inspector Deepak said that Neeli Chandrashekhar (35), his siblings Ramchandar (32) and Mallesh Kumar (29), all street vendors from Chappal Bazar in Kachiguda, drowned while attempting to rescue one another. They are suspected to have been swept away by the strong current.

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The trio ventured into a deep stretch of the river despite not knowing how to swim. Their bodies were recovered by personnel of the State Disaster Response Force deployed by the police. Eyewitnesses said their father, Nagabhushanam, remained a mute spectator as the three were swept away one after another in the river.

The four were on a pilgrimage to the temple town of Basar. They wanted to take a holy dip in the river before having darshan of the presiding deity at Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam, Basar.

Based on a complaint lodged by Nagabhushanam, a case was registered. Investigation is underway.