Four members of the same family jumped off a bridge into the Godavari river in Chinchinada, Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday morning. Three of them died in the incident, while a woman was rescued in time by local fishermen. The incident has caused shock in the area, and police are working to piece together what happened.
Incident took place at dawn on Saturday, bodies found on Sunday
According to police, the incident occurred around 6:15 am on Saturday, when all four family members reached the bridge over the Godavari river in Chinchinada and jumped into the water from there. Authorities were alerted soon after, but the search could not be completed immediately because of nightfall and the strong current of the river. A fresh search operation was launched on Sunday, during which the team recovered three bodies. Around the same time, local fishermen who were out fishing in the area spotted a woman in the water and pulled her out in time, saving her life.
Family jumped off the Chinchinada bridge, police officer explains sequence of events
A police officer from Chinchinada said the family had jumped straight off the bridge in Chinchinada into the Godavari river. The subsequent search operation recovered three bodies, while local fishermen rescued one woman. The officer also said police recovered two motorcycles from the spot, which turned out to be the biggest lead in identifying the family during the initial investigation.
Motorcycle registration numbers led police to the family from Tanuku
Using the registration numbers of the recovered motorcycles, police traced the family to Tanuku city. The rescued woman has been identified as 42-year-old Namburi Padmini, who is currently admitted to the government hospital in Razole for treatment. Police are now trying to locate Padmini's other relatives so that they can be informed of the tragedy and the necessary formalities can be completed.
Husband and both children died, motive still unclear
Police said the three people who drowned in the river include Padmini's 45-year-old husband, Namburi Srinivas, and their two minor children. However, it is still not known why the family took the drastic step of jumping off the bridge into the river. Whether it was a family dispute, financial distress or some other reason is yet to be established. Police have made it clear that the investigation into the actual cause of the incident is continuing.
A similar tragedy had occurred in Delhi days earlier
Just days before this incident, three young men had drowned in Delhi's Sanjay Lake, all of them aged between 22 and 25. One of the men had gone into the lake to bathe, and when he began drowning, the other two jumped in to save him, but all three ended up drowning. Such accidents around rivers and lakes keep recurring, once again underlining the need for greater caution near water bodies.
