Katni: Five minor boys drowned in a river during a picnic in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district, officials said Tuesday.
The incident took place Monday evening when the children, aged between 13 and 15 years, went to the Garra ghat on the Katni river banks.
They drowned probably while taking bath in the river, a rescue team official said.
When the boys did not return home, their family members launched a search. They found the children’s clothes at the ghat and alerted authorities, Katni Collector Priyank Mishra said.
Rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Emergency Response Force rushed to the spot.
All the five bodies were fished out of the river by Tuesday morning, the official said.
The government will provide an assistance of Rs four lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, as per the rules, he said.