Brother, sister die after being swept away by nullah

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A 14-year-old girl and her younger brother died after being swept away while trying to cross a flooded nullah in Washim district of Maharashtra, police said on Thursday. The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon in Waghi Budruk village when the children were returning home from school, they said.

"The victims were identified as Puja Pawar and her seven-year-old brother Paras. Two other school children accompanying them had also swept away while trying to cross the nullah, which was flooded due to heavy rains. However, local residents had managed to rescue them," Inspector of Shirpur Jain police station, Rahul Wadhave said. The bodies of the brother-sister duo were recovered on Thursday by Sant Gadgebaba Emergency Squad, he added. A case of accidental death has been filed in this connection and the bodies were sent for post-mortem, the inspector said.

In another incident, due to heavy downpour in Maharashtra, Tiware dam in Ratnagiri district breached causing a flood-like situation in seven villages. Two dead bodies have been recovered by the civil administration over 22 - 24 people have been reported missing. Due to the dam breach, 12 houses in the area adjacent to the dam have been washed away. The civil administration, police and volunteers are working on the rescue operation at the site. At least 35 people were killed across Maharashtra while 23 died in Mumbai alone in various accidents caused by the heavy downpour. Fourteen people were reported dead in other rain-related incidents across the state in the past 48 hours.

With inputs from PTI

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