- An eight-year-old girl drowned in an open drain in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
- The girl fell into the drain while returning from madrasa during heavy rain
- Locals rescued her but she was declared brought dead at the hospital
An eight-year-old girl drowned after falling into an open drain in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, officials said on Tuesday.
The Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation expressed grief over the death of Afreen calling it "extremely tragic".
The incident took place on Monday in Ghosi Pur locality when Afreen, from Lala Toli, was returning home from a madrasa near Tile Wali Masjid after her classes during heavy rain, they said.
On the way, she fell into the open drain. Locals pulled her out and rushed her to the hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead, they said.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Nirankar Singh said the corporation was deeply pained by the loss and stood with the bereaved family.
"This is a heart-wrenching incident. The exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem report. Based on the findings, we will take all necessary and impartial action," Mr Singh said.
He said that the drain's depth was relatively low and assured that every aspect would be thoroughly investigated. The construction of the drain is covered by slabs.
The tragedy has sparked anger among residents, who alleged that safety norms were ignored during the drain's construction.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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