Woman, Four Minor Girls Drown in Lake Near Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai

A woman and four minor girls, including three sisters, drowned in a lake in Tamil Nadu’s temple town of Tiruvannamalai on Monday evening, police said.

The victims were identified as Thenmozhi, 29, a caretaker at a government-run Children Home for Girls, and four girls aged between 13 and 16. Three of the girls were sisters, while the fourth was also a resident of the children’s home.

According to police, the three sisters had travelled to their native village of Karapattu, near Tiruvannamalai, to celebrate the Deepavali festival. They returned to the town on Monday afternoon.

How the tragedy unfolded

As Monday had been declared a holiday by the district administration, the four girls and their caretaker visited a lake near the children’s home.

Police said the victims allegedly drowned after entering the lake without realising how deep the water was.

The district had experienced heavy rainfall over the preceding few days, resulting in a rise in the lake’s water level, officials said.

The bodies were subsequently recovered from the lake and taken to the district government hospital for post-mortem examinations.

Investigation underway

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Officials are also examining whether the girls visited the lake with the required permission from the children’s home authorities or went there on their own.

Further investigation is underway, police said.