A 10-year-old boy returning home after attending an exam has drowned in a roadside pit dug up during road construction.

District Police Office, Jhapa has identified the boy as Kushal Niraula of Bhadrapur-10.

Meanwhile, Seven-year-old Sameer Bajgain, who fell into the pit with Kushal, was rescued unharmed.

Both the boys fell into the pit dug up in course of Charaali – Kechana road construction near Namunatole of Bhadrapur – 10 on Tuesday afternoon, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Hari Prasad Sharma, confirmed.

The boys were rescued by the locals, but Kushal died in course of treatment at the B & C Hospital, Biramode. Sameer has returned home after receiving treatment at the Om Sai Pathibhara Hospital, Bhadrapur.

Kushal was a Grade 3 student at Bidur Boarding School, Bhadrapur while Sameer is a student of Upper Kindergarten (UKG).

The contractor company with permission to dig one and half feet pit had instead dug 5 to 10 feet deep pit and abandoned it without any precautionary measures to avoid road accidents. The children had fallen into the same pit. RSS