Mangaluru: A leisurely swim in the artificial pond created by an unused stone quarry cost a 13-year-old boy his life. The boy, identified as Thamim, drowned in the muddy storm-water pond at an unused stone quarry at Adyar Padavu here on Sunday, June 8.
Reportedly, Thamim, along with his friends, went for swimming in the unused stone quarry. However, in the deep waters, he could not swim for long and cried for help. Though his friends made efforts to rescue Thamim, it went in vain and he drowned int the murky stormwater.
The fire department could not fish the body out even after repeated attempts. Only on the next day, the locals were able to retrieve the body of the boy.
On July 9, people of the locality held a flash protest against the illegal stone quarry. The locals accused that the illegal stone quarries have created a risk to the public. They said that the water collected in the deep pits also serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Several cases of drowning have been reported in the artificial pools too.
