4 minors, among 7, drown in TN

He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the Raj Bhavan said on its official Twitter handle.Chief Minister M K Stalin, in an official statement, condoled the deaths and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to each of the bereaved families.

Seven people, including 4 minors, drowned in the Gedilam river, near here, on Sunday when they went to bathe in the water body, officials said. The incident happened at Kilarungunam village near Panrutty in the district. Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi expressed grief over the incident and prayed for the departed souls. He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the Raj Bhavan said on its official Twitter handle.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, in an official statement, condoled the deaths and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to each of the bereaved families. The amount was taken from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund. He called for steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents. One among them should be placing of warning signs near water bodies, he said.

Officials concerned should impart first aid training to people, especially those staying near water bodies, to help in times of crises, he added.