Seven-year-old loses life in drowning accident in Araku, Visakhapatnam

A leisure trip to the Araku valley in Visakhapatnam District turned into a disaster for a family when their seven-year-old son drowned in the resort swimming pool. Mr. Seetharam and his family, from Srikakulam, had travelled to Araku Valley for a holiday retreat. They had booked a room at the Haritha Valley Resort run by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).

Disaster struck late in the afternoon when they decided to head to the swimming pool to cool off during the hot day. As the couple stayed near the pool, their seven-year-old son Shankar ventured into the pool. As he moved towards the deeper side of the pool, he suddenly swallowed some water and thereby could not remain afloat. This, unfortunately, led to Shankar drowning in the swimming pool. The parents pulled Shankar’s body out and rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

Speaking to Yo! Vizag, Mr. Appala Naidu, the manager at Haritha Valley Resort said, “The family of three had arrived at the resort in the afternoon at 2:30 PM and booked a room. After checking in, they had their lunch at the restaurant. At 4 PM, the three of them proceeded to the swimming pool for a dip. Mr.Seetharam had returned to the room to change into his swimming attire.

His wife did not notice her child going into the pool and was completely unaware that the boy had ventured into the deeper section of the pool. The management had earlier informed all guests that the swimming pool was under maintenance and should not be used. The attendant had gone out to get equipment for cleaning the pool and therefore was unavailable to attend to the drowning boy. Moments later, when the father arrived, he noticed the body of the child in the pool and jumped in to retrieve it. He tried reviving the child by carrying out some Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).”

The bereaved parents informed the Resort Management to book a taxi for them up to S. Kota after which they called an ambulance to take them to their hometown.