Teen brothers drown in a canal

Two brothers drowned in a canal here on Wednesday after falling into it while playing nearby, police said.

The deceased have been identified as Vishesh, 12 and Abhishek, 14, residents of Bilaspur Camp in south Delhi's Badarpur.

Police said the incident occurred at around 11 a.m when a passerby saw the drowning boys in the Agra canal and informed police.

"A police team along with a boat club and divers rushed for their help. During the rescue operation, the bodies of the boys, who had already died, were recovered at around 12.30 p.m.," said a senior police officer.

Passerby Vikas Kumar, who had informed police, told IANS that the brothers were playing with a canal when Vishesh slipped accidentally and fell in the canal following which Abhishek too jumped in the canal in a bid to help him but both drowned. He said that over 30 locals assembled at the spot but no one came forward to rescue them.

Kumar also said that the police vehicle usually parked beside the canal to keep locals and teenagers away was absent on Wednesday.

--IANS

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