Gujarat: Three boys buried alive as mound of clay caves in

On Sundayevening, their relatives started searching for them after theboys did not return home, said Sodha.In the night, some villagers spotted slippers of theboys outside the pit on the river bank, he said.As per primary investigation, when the boys wereplaying inside the pit, the clay suddenly caved in, givingthem no chance to escape.

Three teenage boys playing on the bank of a dry river were buried alive when a mound of clay caved in on them near Khavda village in Bhuj tehsil of Gujarat's Kutch district, an official said on Monday.

The boys, all in the age group of 13 years to 16years, were playing inside a bunker-like pit dug up by them on the river bank at the time of the incident, Khavda police sub-inspector J P Sodha told reporters.

The bodies of Munir Kader Sama (13), Raza Rashid Sama(14), and Kalimulla Sama (16), all residents of Dhrobanavillage near Khavda, were found on Sunday late night, he said.

''The three boys used to play inside a bunker-like hole dug up by them on the riverbank near their village. On Sunday evening, their relatives started searching for them after the boys did not return home,'' said Sodha.

In the night, some villagers spotted slippers of the boys outside the pit on the river bank, he said.

''As per the primary investigation, when the boys were playing inside the pit, the clay suddenly caved in, giving them no chance to escape. Though villagers pulled the boys out and rushed them to a nearby hospital, they were declared brought dead by doctors'' Sodha said, adding that further investigation is on.