What happened here
1 / 3 Three sisters aged 16, 14 and 12, visiting their maternal grandparents, and their 18-year-old cousin drowned in a farm water tank at Rupsi village near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, on the afternoon of Friday 13 November 2026. One slipped in and the others jumped in to save the first. The tank was about 12 feet deep and a JCB was used to break its wall and take the four out. The reports differ on who fell first and on the youngest sister's age.
Quick answers
What happened at Rupsi near Jaisalmer?
On the afternoon of Friday 13 November 2026 three sisters and their cousin drowned in a farm water tank at Rupsi village in the Sadar police station area of Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan.
How many died?
Four: three sisters aged 16, 14 and 12 (Aaj Tak gives the younger two as 14) and their 18-year-old cousin.
How did it happen?
One of them slipped into the tank and the other three jumped in to save the first, according to the reports; none of the four could get out of the deep water.
How deep was the tank?
About 12 feet, according to the Superintendent of Police quoted by Dainik Bhaskar.
How were they taken out?
Family members could not reach them, so a JCB machine was brought, the tank wall was broken and the water drained; the four were taken to Jawahar Hospital in Jaisalmer, where doctors declared them dead.
Who is investigating?
The Sadar police station has started an inquiry. No finding is published.
Were there other similar drownings?
Yes. A farm tank at Bikaner on 11 November (four dead) and one at Makrana on 12 November (three girls) were reported in the same week.
What should I do if someone falls into deep water?
Shout for help, throw a rope or something that floats, do not jump in unless you can swim safely, call 112 or 108 and start hands-only CPR if the person is not breathing.
What happened
The Jaisalmer farm tank drowning happened at about 3 pm on Friday 13 November 2026 at Rupsi village in the Sadar police station area of Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan. Three sisters who were visiting their maternal grandparents for the holidays and their 18-year-old cousin drowned in a farm water tank, locally called a diggi. Dainik Bhaskar, ETV Bharat, India TV, Aaj Tak and ABP News all report four dead.
The reports agree that the four were playing near the tank while their families worked in the fields, that one of them slipped into the water and that the others jumped in to save the first. Dainik Bhaskar quotes the Superintendent of Police that the tank was about 12 feet deep and that family members could not pull the four out. A JCB machine was called, the tank wall was broken to drain the water and the bodies were taken out. Doctors at Jawahar Hospital in Jaisalmer declared all four dead, and the police have started an inquiry.
This page names no one. It sets out what is reported, where the reports differ and what an open farm tank teaches. Two similar tank drownings were reported in Rajasthan in the two days before this one, at Bikaner and at Makrana, and we cover them on their own pages.
What the reports say
- When: Around 3 pm on Friday 13 November 2026 (Dainik Bhaskar)
- Where: Rupsi village, Sadar police station area, Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan (Dainik Bhaskar; ETV Bharat)
- Who died: Three sisters aged 16, 14 and 12, and their 18-year-old cousin, the son of their mother’s family (Dainik Bhaskar; ETV Bharat); Aaj Tak gives the two younger sisters as 14
- Why they were there: The sisters, from Sipla village, were at their maternal grandparents’ home in Rupsi for the holidays (Dainik Bhaskar; Aaj Tak)
- The tank: A farm water storage tank, a diggi, about 12 feet deep, in a field about 200 metres from the house (Dainik Bhaskar quoting the SP)
- What happened: One of the four slipped into the tank and the other three jumped in to help; none could get out (ETV Bharat; Aaj Tak; ABP News; India TV)
- The alarm: The sisters’ younger brother, who was in the field, saw them go under and ran to people working in nearby fields (Dainik Bhaskar)
- Rescue: Family members and villagers could not reach them in the deep water, so a JCB was brought, the tank wall was broken, the water drained and the four taken out (Dainik Bhaskar; Aaj Tak)
- Hospital: The four were taken to Jawahar Hospital in Jaisalmer and declared dead (ETV Bharat; India TV)
- Police: The Sadar police station has started an inquiry (Dainik Bhaskar; India TV)
- Identities: Reports name the dead and their fathers; we name no one
Where reports differ and what we do not know
- Who fell first: Dainik Bhaskar says the 18-year-old cousin slipped and the three sisters jumped in to save him. ETV Bharat, Aaj Tak, ABP News and India TV say a girl slipped and the other three went in to save her. We say one of the four slipped in and the others jumped to help.
- The youngest sister: Dainik Bhaskar and ETV Bharat give the sisters as 16, 14 and 12. Aaj Tak gives 16 and two of 14. We say 16, 14 and 12 and note the difference.
- The setting: ABP News and India TV say the family was working at a tubewell when the children reached the tank. Dainik Bhaskar says the children were in a field about 200 metres from the house while family members farmed nearby. All describe a working farm.
- The rescue: Dainik Bhaskar and Aaj Tak say a JCB was used to break the tank wall and empty it. ETV Bharat says the bodies were taken out and brought to hospital without mentioning the JCB. We follow the two that describe it.
- Not reported: None of the pages says whether the tank had a fence, a cover or steps, or whether the family had been warned of the risk. We do not guess.
What this teaches
A farm tank filled for irrigation looks like a pond to a child and is much deeper than it looks. The sides are steep and smooth, and a person who slips in cannot stand or climb out. A rescuer who jumps in goes into the same water, which is why a second and a third person drown in so many of these cases. Three farm tank drownings in three days in Rajasthan, at Bikaner on 11 November, Makrana on 12 November and Rupsi on 13 November, took eleven lives. These are early reports, not findings.
We have covered similar events, among them the Sai River immersion drowning, the Gujarat drowning cluster of nine deaths and the Raghopur boat capsize. Our guide to water safety in rivers, ponds and wells sets out how to keep children away, and our guide to saving a drowning person without risking your own life explains what to do when someone goes under. For the minutes after, our guide to basic first aid, including CPR covers what to do while help comes.
We do not know whether the tank had a fence, a cover or steps, or how long the children had been alone before the youngest brother raised the alarm. The police inquiry will say. We will update this page if the police or the district administration publish a finding.
- Four young people playing near a farm water tank at Rupsi village go into the water; one slips in and the other three jump in to help (Dainik Bhaskar; ETV Bharat)
- The sisters' younger brother runs to people working in nearby fields; family members reach the tank but cannot get the four out of the 12-foot-deep water (Dainik Bhaskar)
- A JCB is brought, the tank wall is broken and the water drained, and the four are taken out (Dainik Bhaskar; Aaj Tak)
- The four are taken to Jawahar Hospital in Jaisalmer, where doctors declare them dead (ETV Bharat; India TV)
- The police start an inquiry and the first reports appear from about 7.50 pm (India TV; ETV Bharat)
Why consequences escalated
- Four young people drowned in a farm water tank at Rupsi village, Jaisalmer, on 13 November 2026: three sisters and their cousin.
- One of them slipped in and the other three jumped in to help; none could get out of the 12-foot-deep water.
- A JCB was used to break the tank wall and drain it so that the four could be taken out.
- The reports differ on who slipped first and on the youngest sister's age; the police inquiry has started and no finding is published.
- It was the third farm tank drowning in Rajasthan reported in three days, after Bikaner and Makrana.
Failures and risk multipliers
- No inquiry finding has been published. The reports leave these questions open:
- Whether the tank had a fence, a cover or steps.
- Who was watching the children and how long they were alone.
- Why family members could not reach them, and how quickly a machine could be brought.
- Whether deep farm tanks in the district have to be fenced or covered.
- These are open questions, not findings of fault.
Actions that reduce risk
- Parents and families: keep children away from open farm tanks, ponds and wells, and do not let them play near the water without an adult watching.
- Farmers: fence or cover a deep tank, keep a rope and a floating ring beside it and build steps or a ramp on one side.
- Anyone who sees a person in deep water: shout for help, throw a rope or something that floats, and do not jump in unless you can swim and reach the person safely.
- Call 112 or 108 and give the village name and a landmark.
- Authorities: publish the findings and consider fencing rules and a public awareness drive on farm tanks.
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