Gadag: Boy drowns in pond, a day ahead of his birthday

Team Udayavani, Oct 1, 2024, 9:35 AM IST

Gadag: A nine-year-old boy, who was supposed to be celebrating his birthday, was tragically found dead on Monday, September 30.

The boy, Pratham Ashok Madoalli, a resident of Gangapur Pete, had accidentally slipped and fallen into the Koneri pond on Sunday afternoon while playing with friends. Firefighters recovered his body on Monday.

Pratham had been playing on the steps of the pond with two other children when he lost his footing and fell into the water. The other children immediately ran for help, alerting the locals.

A group of young men quickly jumped into the pond to rescue him, and firefighters also joined the search. However, the pond was filled with silt due to a large number of Ganesh idols that had been immersed there. Heavy rain later in the evening also hindered the rescue operation.

On Monday morning, the firefighters resumed their search and finally recovered the boy’s body.

Pratham, who had lost both his parents, was being raised by his grandmother. She had begun preparations for his birthday celebration two days earlier. The sight of her grandson’s lifeless body on the day of his birthday left her heartbroken, and her cries moved everyone present at the scene to tears.