Basara temple trip ends in tragedy, 5 from city drown
Hyderabad: Five persons, including three siblings, from Hyderabad died while taking a holy dip in the Godavari before visiting the Basara temple on Sunday. None of them knew swimming, police said.
The five were part of a group of 18 relatives who had taken a train from Hyderabad on Saturday and arrived in Basara on Sunday morning for a darshan at the temple. The incident happened while others were taking a bath at a different spot nearby, police said.
Rakesh (20), a degree student; Madan (18), an Intermediate student; and Bharath (16), who had cleared 10th, were brothers. The other two were their relatives Vinod (19) and Rithvik (22) who were into business.
The three brothers and Vinod were residents of Chintal, whereas Rithvik was from Dilsukhnagar. They were all natives of Rajasthan.
"The group of relatives had hired a boat to reach the middle of the river where there is sand. After getting down, the group split to take a dip in the water. While women were taking a bath on one side, men, including the youngsters, were taking a bath on the other side," Basara SI told TOI.
Police said the five youngsters had gone deep into the river from the edge of the sand and were playing in the water.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025
Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List
Undo
"Suddenly, they started to drown. Initially, the other men thought they were having fun. But within no time, they drowned," a cop said.
Immediately, the boat drivers jumped into the water to save them, but by then they had drowned. They fished out four bodies, while the fifth body was recovered by expert swimmers who were called by police.
When asked why there were no lifeguards present, officials said they are deployed only near the ghat and not at the sand, which is in the middle of the river.
Nirmal SP Janaki Sharmila appealed to devotees that should take bath only at the permitted ghats and not at other places.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
MI6 gets its own 'M': Dame Judi Dench's legacy just got real
MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli In an electrifying moment that feels straight out of a James Bond movie—except it's real—MI6 is set to welcome its first-ever female chief. Enter Blaise Metreweli, 47, the tech-savvy insider who is about to become MI6's 18th leader and the first woman ever to hold the role, known within the service as 'C,' this coming autumn. Metreweli joined the spy world in 1999, earning her stripes as a case officer across the Middle East and Europe. With an anthropology degree from Cambridge, she later climbed to Director-General for Technology & Innovation—handling everything from AI-powered surveillance to cybersecurity. Sir Richard Moore, the current MI6 chief, pledged in 2023 that he'd be the 'last C selected from an all-male shortlist.' And he made good on it by selecting Metreweli, praising diversity and inclusion as vital to next-gen intelligence . Breaking the glass ceiling It's been a long time coming. MI6, or the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), is basically Britain's real-life spy agency—the one you always hear about in James Bond movies. But unlike the shaken-not-stirred world of 007, MI6 works deep in the shadows, gathering intelligence from overseas to keep the UK safe. These are the people decoding enemy chatter, recruiting informants, and staying ten steps ahead of threats like terrorism, cyberattacks, and international espionage. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Heads Turn as Walgreens Shoppers Discover 87¢ ED Pills fridayplans Learn More Undo Founded in 1909, MI6 has always had an air of mystery—no public job ads, no flashy offices, and definitely no exploding pens (probably). The head of MI6 is codenamed 'C,' a tradition started by its first chief, Sir Mansfield Cumming, who signed his name with just a 'C' in green ink. For years, MI6 was an old boys' club—until now. With Blaise Metreweli stepping in as the first female chief, the agency is finally catching up with modern times. She's got brains, tech chops, and serious global experience. If you thought Judi Dench's 'M' was powerful, just wait—this is real life. MI6 won't ever hand out secrets, but one thing's clear: they're evolving fast. And with Metreweli at the helm, the future of British intelligence looks sharp, strategic, and refreshingly modern. Life imitates art: Dame Judi Dench walked so Metreweli could run For millions of us, the face of MI6 has always been Dame Judi Dench—the cool, commanding "M" who stood toe-to-toe with James Bond and basically stole every scene. When she first appeared as M in GoldenEye (1995), she wasn't just playing a role—she was smashing stereotypes. A woman at the helm of British intelligence? Unheard of… until she made it feel normal. Fast-forward to 2025, and fiction finally catches up with fact. Blaise Metreweli's appointment as the first female chief of MI6 feels like the final act in a story Judi helped script through sheer screen presence. Judi's M was sharp, unflinching, and deeply respected—qualities Metreweli embodies in real life, albeit without the camera angles and martinis. Both women rewrote the rulebook in male-dominated arenas: one on-screen, the other in the shadows of real geopolitics. Judi once said, 'You don't have to be young to be brave or bold.' That spirit now lives in MI6's top office—and it's not fiction anymore.
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
French man faces death sentence in Malaysia drug trial
Representative AI image A French man went on trial in northern Malaysia on Monday, charged with drug possession and trafficking which could carry the death penalty if he was found guilty, his lawyer said. Tom Felix, a former executive of French waste management firm Veolia with a degree in aquaculture and marine biology, was set to open a restaurant on the scenic resort island of Langkawi when he was arrested in early August 2023. Police found several hundred grams of cannabis in a common area of a home where Felix, 34, was living with his Malaysian business partner, who was also arrested. "The trial started," Felix's lawyer Collin Andrew told AFP, saying mid-morning the case before the Alor Setar High Court had been adjourned "because "there were some items the first witness had not brought to court today". It would resume Tuesday with the same witness again taking the stand, he added. The trial was scheduled to end on Thursday, but it was not known whether sentencing would take place immediately afterwards. Felix faced the death penalty, or "104 years of cumulative imprisonment, 54 strokes with the cane and a 27,000 euro ($31,000) fine," his mother Sylvie Felix told AFP. Drug possession and trafficking are serious crimes in Malaysia that can still carry the death sentence if the amounts are above a certain threshold. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Death sentences, however, are no longer mandatory and no executions have taken place since 2018. Felix's parents spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron about his case during a recent state visit to neighbouring Singapore, where they lived. "He heard us and said that this situation is indeed unacceptable and that he would do everything possible to ensure Tom's release," Sylvie Felix said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Hillside of white crosses fuels misleading story about South Africa's farm killings
Hillside of white crosses fuels misleading story about South Africa's farm killings (Image: AP) The white crosses are staked in the ground on an otherwise barren hillside on the edge of a farm, each one standing as a reminder of a terrible story of a person being killed. But the crosses, nearly 3,000 of them, do not tell the full story of South Africa's farm killings. The Witkruis Monument - which means White Cross Monument in the language spoken by South Africa's white Afrikaner minority - is a memorial only to white people who were killed on farms over the last three decades. It's a visceral snapshot seized on by some South Africans to drive a discredited narrative that white farmers in the majority Black country are being targeted in a widespread, race-based system of persecution. The false narrative has also been spread by conservative commentators in the United States and elsewhere - and amplified by South African-born Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump. Last month, Trump escalated the rhetoric, using the term "genocide" to describe violence against white farmers. The South African government and experts who have studied farm killings have publicly denounced the misinformation spread by Trump and others. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like One of the Most Successful Investors of All Time, Warren Buffett, Recommends: 5 Books for Turning... Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Click Here Undo Even the caretaker of Witkruis says the monument - which makes no reference to the hundreds of Black South African farmers and farmworkers who have been killed - does not tell the complete story. The killings of farmers and farmworkers, regardless of race, are a tiny percentage of the country's high level of crime, and they typically occur during armed robberies, according to available statistics and two studies carried out over the last 25 years. Yet because wealthier white people own 72 per cent of South Africa's privately owned farms, according to census data, they are disproportionately affected by these often brutal crimes. Black people own just 4 per cent of the country's privately owned farmland, and the rest is owned by people who are mixed race or of Indian heritage. Misinformation about farm killings has been fuelled by right-wing political groups in South Africa and others outside the country, said Gareth Newman, a crime expert at the Institute for Security Studies think tank in Pretoria. Some of the fringe South African groups, which hold no official power, boycotted the country's first democratic elections in 1994, when South Africa's apartheid system of white minority rule officially ended. They have espoused a debunked theory of persecution - in a country where whites make up about 7 per cent of the population - ever since. "They held on to these beliefs as a way of maintaining social cohesion in their groups, making sure that they can obtain funding and support," Newman said. "And they were getting support from right-wing groups abroad because it fit their narrative." A monument to white victims The Witkruis Monument was started in 2004 but recognises victims going back to 1994. Each year, more crosses are planted to memorialise white farmers and their family members who were killed, organisers say. Recently, they've planted around 50 crosses a year. Kobus de Lange, a local Afrikaner farmer, has taken on the role of caretaker of Witkruis. He gave The Associated Press access to see the memorial, bringing along his wife and children to help tidy up the monument in the country's north, near the town of Mokopane. De Lange expressed the fear and frustration of a white farming community that feels authorities have not done enough to protect them. One of his sons wore a T-shirt with the slogan "enough is enough" - written in their Afrikaans language - in reference to the killings. But de Lange acknowledged that the memorial does not capture the full scope of farm killings. "It's across the board, there are Black farmers who are also attacked," de Lange said. He said in some farm attacks, Black farmworkers are tortured by criminals for information on how to break into the main farmhouse. The Witkruis Monument would be willing to put up crosses to Black farmers and farmworkers who have been killed, but their relatives haven't requested it, he said. The monument includes memorabilia bearing the flags of conservative Afrikaner movements, symbols that are generally frowned upon because Afrikaners were at the heart of the apartheid government. Black farmworkers are also vulnerable From April 2023 through March 2024, there were 49 farm killings recorded by AfriForum, a white Afrikaner lobby group. That's about 0.2 per cent of overall murders tallied by the government over the same period. The group recorded 296 farm robberies in that timeframe, or about 0.7 per cent of all robberies. AfriForum's numbers don't include killings of Black farmers and workers, and the country's official crime statistics are not broken down by race. Black people make up more than 80 per cent of South Africa's population of 62 million, and most victims of violent crime across South Africa are Black. But there is no public relations campaign to raise awareness about the killing of Black farmers. Across racial lines, most public outcry about crime in South Africa is over the high rates of rape and murder of women and children, which mostly takes place in cities and townships. To tamp down misinformation, South African police last month took the unprecedented step of providing a racial breakdown of farm killings during the first three months of the year. Between January and March, there were six murders on farms, down from 12 during the same period last year. One of the victims was white, the rest were Black. "What Donald Trump is saying about whites being targeted does not exist," said MmaNtuli Buthelezi, who lives on a farm in Normandien, a rural area in KwaZulu-Natal province. Black farmworkers also feel vulnerable, Buthelezi said. "We don't even have small firearms. Our weapons are just a spear and a shield, and sticks we get from the woods." Nomandien is an area where the farming community planted white crosses to raise awareness about farm killings in 2020. During a White House visit last month by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump showed a video in which he incorrectly referred to the location as a "burial site" of slain white farmers. Also, and without evidence, Trump has accused South Africa's Black-led government of "fuelling" what he said was racially motivated violence against whites. In February, Trump issued an executive order punishing the country by banning all US aid and assistance to South Africa. What is the motive for South Africa's farm killings? The Trump administration has cited a chant used by a minority Black-led political party in South Africa that has the lyrics "shoot the farmer" as contributing to what it claims is the racially motivated killings of white farmers. Violent crimes against farmers were a problem for years before the apartheid-era chant was revived. The South African government investigated farm killings in 2003. It interviewed dozens of police detectives and other experts and concluded that robbery was the most common motive for violent crimes, including murders, that occurred on farms. A study by the South African Human Rights Commission in 2015 reached a similar conclusion. "It is criminal individuals and groups that are targeting them because they are considered vulnerable," said Newham, who has researched the subject for more than 15 years. "They have things like cars, guns and laptops." In some cases, perpetrators are former labourers who return to attack, kill and rob farm owners to settle disputes over money. In others, disgruntled former employees had returned simply for revenge, according to historical records of the National Prosecuting Authority.
