Boy’s body found, search on for father, uncle who swept away in Galeru-Nagari canal

The body of an eight-year-old boy who was swept away in the Galeru-Nagari canal at Ramapuram village in Owk mandal on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) was retrieved on Thursday (September 17, 2026), while efforts to trace his father and his uncle, who were washed away trying to save him, continued for the second consecutive day.

The three, all members of the same family, had gone to the canal to spend some leisure time and watch the flow of water, the police said. Aarush, 8, lost his balance while playing and fell into the canal. His father, Afroze, 36, jumped into the water to rescue him, and Afroze’s brother-in-law, Ashiq, 32, entered the canal after them. All three were swept away by the current.

The canal was carrying about 3,200 cusecs of water at the time of the accident, officials said.

Afroze and Ashiq were labourers at stone-cutting factories at the Owk mandal headquarters.

Roads and Buildings Minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy, who has been monitoring the rescue operation since the accident, visited the spot on Thursday morning and consoled the family members. Assuring them of all possible support, the Minister directed officials to intensify the search for the two men, and asked that the rescue effort be speeded up by deploying expert swimmers and rescue personnel alongside National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams.

Acting on Mr. Janardhan Reddy’s directions, officials have stepped up measures to locate the missing men. Nets have been laid downstream of the canal as part of the search.

Officials said that with Aarush’s body retrieved, they expected the two others to be traced soon.