A rescue attempt ended in tragedy at the Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) backwaters in Nizamabad district on Sunday evening, claiming the lives of four youngsters after one of them slipped into the deep water.The deceased were identified as Shaik Khaleemuddin (24), Shaik Najwat (24) and Azeem Khan (24), all residents of Auto Nagar in Nizamabad, and Arhan (17), a native of Nanded in neighbouring Maharashtra.According to the police, the group had visited the SRSP Laxmi Canal pump house area for sightseeing and reached the spot at around 4.30 p.m. They had climbed onto a small sandbank in the backwaters when Rehan reportedly slipped into the water and began drowning.Khaleemuddin, Najwat, Azeem and Arhan entered the water one after another in an attempt to rescue Rehan. None of them knew how to swim and all four were swept away.Rehan and an eight-year-old boy, Asnan, who were also caught in the water, were rescued by local residents. However, despite their efforts, they were unable to save the four others.Personnel from the Armoor Rural police station, led by Circle Inspector Janreddy, along with officers from the Mendora and Mupkal police stations, rushed to the spot. Local residents, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel and Fire Department teams launched a search and rescue operation.While the bodies of Khaleemuddin, Najwat and Azeem were recovered on Sunday evening and shifted to the Government Area Hospital in Armoor for post-mortem examination, search for Arhan continued overnight before his body was recovered on Monday morning. Further investigation is underway. Published - July 27, 2026 06:44 pm IST