14-year-old boy drowns in pond after pulling friend to safety

HOWRAH: A 14-year-old boy from Shibpur died after saving his friend from drowning in a pond at the Dumurjola Stadium complex on Sunday morning. Class-VIII student Aryan Verma had dragged his classmate Vishal Das to the shore after the latter slipped and fell into the pond. But as Das lay unconscious on the bank, Verma lost his balance and tumbled into the water. His body was found by locals about an hour later. Das was admitted to Howrah District Hospital and his condition is stated to be stable.

The youngsters had attended a training session at the Dumurjola Cricket Coaching Centre inside the stadium complex on Sunday morning. At the end of the session, both had gone to the pond to wash themselves when Das accidentally fell into the water. Verma, an ace swimmer, jumped in, pulled Das up and dragged him to safety. But as he was trying to clamber up the bank - holding on to Das - Verma lost his balance and fell back in.

Locals raised an alarm and some jumped into the water to try and save him. But Verma could not be located before an hour had passed. Both boys were taken to hospital, where Verma was declared brought dead. Hospital superintendent Narayan Chatterjee said the student may have suffered a heart attack from the strain of carrying Das to the shore. "Since he was a swimmer, it seems unlikely that he drowned after falling into the water," said Chatterjee.

Aryan's father Rajesh, a businessman, said he couldn't believe his son drowned. "He was an expert swimmer and I can't figure out how he could have drowned. But I am proud of him since he saved his friend's life," he said. Das's aunt Khuku said the two were inseparable and had grown up together. "My nephew is in shock," she said.

Howrah ACP (South) Gulam Sarwar said the police were waiting for the autopsy report and had started a probe.