4-year-old girl drowns in open water tank at playschool in Madurai

MADURAI: A four-year-old girl drowned after falling into an open water tank at a private playschool near KK Nagar on Tuesday.
According to police sources, the child, identified as Aarudhra, was playing with her classmates when she accidentally slipped and fell into the uncovered 11-foot-deep tank located within the school premises.
The incident took place at Sri Kinder Garden Playschool, which was reportedly conducting special summer camp sessions for children. Around 50 children and five teachers were present at the time of the incident.
Preliminary reports state that the child had been missing for nearly 30 minutes before a teacher noticed her drowning. She was pulled out in an unconscious state and rushed to a nearby hospital, where she succumbed despite an hour of intensive treatment.
Following the incident, senior police officials, including Deputy Commissioner S. Anita, visited the site and initiated an inquiry. Based on initial findings, the police arrested four female teachers and the school owner, identified as Divya, on charges of negligence leading to the child’s death.
Authorities are investigating whether safety protocols were violated at the playschool.