Chennai: In a tragic incident, five youth drowned in a pond during a ritual as part of an ongoing temple festival in Chennai on Wednesday. The victims were aged between 18 and 23 years.
Police said the youth had entered the pond along with scores of others for the Theerthavari festival of the Sri Dharmalingeswarar Temple in suburban Chennai. The men who had entered the pond were carrying the presiding deity of the temple and took a dip. The five persons had attempted to rescue an elder man who was struggling in the middle of the pond when they drowned.
CM announces ex-gratia
According to police, the pond belonged to a local body and those who entered it were not aware of its depth. The organisers of the festival had allegedly not informed the local police of their plans to enter the pond for the ritual.
Condoling the death of the five youngsters, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh to each of their family members from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.
