3 children drown in village lake, fourth battling for life

Rajkot: Three young children drowned and another is battling for life after slipping into deep water in a village lake at Shemla in Gondal taluka on Thursday.

The deceased are six-year-old Lakht Damor, three-year-old Laxmi Damor and six-year-old Arjun Baberia. A fourth child, three-year-old Sahil Baberia, is in critical condition.

The children were part of a family employed on the farm of Nirubha Jadeja in Shemla village. While the adults were working, the children were playing near a lake a short distance from the fields. During play, they slipped into deep water and began to drown.

When the incident came to the notice of the farmer and those nearby, people rushed to the spot. Family members and swimmers pulled the children out of the lake and rushed them in a private vehicle to a private hospital in Gondal.

Doctors on duty declared Lakht Damor and his sister Laxmi dead on arrival. Arjun Baberia, son of Karsan Damor from Shala Bhura, was also declared dead. Sahil Baberia was admitted in a critical condition and is undergoing treatment.

Gondal taluka police began an investigation. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the deceased belonged to families originally from Jhabua district of MP.