6 School students drown in quarry pit after rains in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district

“They did not realise that overnight rains had caused the water levels to rise in the pit. Their parents informed police that none of them were swimmers,” he said.

Six bodies have been found so far. According to the police, one of the students in the group waited outside as the others took a dip.

When they did not resurface, the student called a passing shepherd for help and managed to pull out another student.

However, the student died on the wait to a hospital at Adoni. The victims have been identified as Errabata Shasikuma, Errabata Kinnerasayi, Kesaram Saikiran, A Ramudu, Gadla Veerendra, and Sheikh Babu.

This comes amid heavy rainfall in several parts of Andhra Pradesh – including Kurnool — due to a severe depression in the Bay of Bengal.

Education Minister Nara Lokesh Naidu announced that the government would extend support to their families. “It is sad that children with a very bright future died in such a sudden manner. The government will stand by the affected families in every way,” he said in a post.

Meanwhile, former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy too voiced shock at the incident, calling it “extremely heartbreaking” “Young students with bright futures ahead losing their lives in such a manner is very distressing,” he said, asking authorities to prevent such incidents in the future.