Five ragpickers drown in drain

Five ragpickers, including three minors, were drowned in a drain in west Delhi on Saturday, police said.

"Three children -- Sahidul, 10, Sabikul, 9, and and Lalsun, 12 -- were ragpickers and went inside a drain in Chhawla area to pick some garbage but drowned inside," police said.

Police added that two men -- Hassidull, 26 and Afsae Ali, 30, who went to rescue the children also drowned in the drain. The men were also ragpickers.

With police assistance, locals pulled out the victims from the drain.

"They were taken to Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital in Jaffarpur here," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Surender Kumar said.

The doctors declared that they were brought dead, the police official said.

The incident took place at around 11.15 a.m. in Shyam Kunj Goyala village near Chhawla in West Delhi.

The fire department said one fire tender was rushed to the spot after they received the call but could not save the victims.

--IANS

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