Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): The bodies of two Class 9 students, who had gone missing while swimming in the Jai Shri Ram Dam near Palsodi village in Ratlam, were found by divers on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as Dhruv (14) and Jay alias Ashutosh (14).
On Monday, eight students of Samata Shiksha Niketan school, Sagod Road in Ratlam, left home by telling their families that they were going to a party.
They reached the dam near Palsodi village for a picnic. While some were cooking instant noodles, three students — Jay, Dhruv and Raghav — entered the dam.
Their friends tried to stop them. They even managed to pull Raghav to safety, but Dhruv and Ashutosh allegedly drowned after swimming into the deep waters.
The boys’ friends ran to the road for help and informed the police. However, the rescue team was late in reaching the spot. Four to five Home Guard personnel reached the spot but had no proper equipment.
Family members searched for the boys using ropes and hooks from a boat already present at the dam.
The search was halted due to poor visibility on Monday night and resumed Tuesday morning. Divers recovered both bodies one by one.
The bodies were sent to the medical college for a post-mortem examination.
The boys’ family members alleged serious administrative negligence. No ambulance came for over an hour-and-a-half and both bodies were taken to hospital in private vehicles, they claimed.
