NDRF team conducting a search operation in the pond at Cheruvu Kommu Palem on the outskirts of Ongole on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: KOMMURI SRINIVAS
Four boys, including three siblings, drowned in a pond near Ongole on Thursday. Their bodies were retrieved after four-hour-long search by the police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel.According to police, the deceased have been identified as Kareti Abhiram (14), his younger brother Kareti Sushanth (12), their cousin Podili Chinnu (11) and Illa Dinesh (10). All were residents of Cheruvu Kommu Palem village in Ongole mandal of Prakasam district.Some people said they had seen the two brothers climbing a palm tree near the pond at noon, adding that they might have jumped into the water for a bath or a swim later. Dinesh’s mother came searching for him and found clothes and footwear near the pond.“Acting on the complaint lodged by the parents and the family members, the police launched a search operation, along with the NDRF teams. After four hours of search, they retrieved the bodies from the pond,” a police officer said.Social Welfare Minister Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy spoke to the District Collector and Superintendent of Police and enquired about the case. Published - June 04, 2026 07:24 pm IST
