What happened here
1 / 3 A 14-year-old girl, her two brothers aged 18 and 16 and a 21-year-old cousin drowned in a farm water tank at Awa village near Chhatargarh, Bikaner, Rajasthan, at about 12.15 pm on Bhai Dooj, Wednesday 11 November 2026. She fell in and the three young men jumped in one after another to save her. The tank measures about 100 by 100 feet. The reports differ on whether she went to bathe or was playing and on whether the four were siblings or three siblings and a cousin.
Quick answers
What happened at Chhatargarh in Bikaner?
At about 12.15 pm on Wednesday 11 November 2026, Bhai Dooj, four members of one family drowned in a farm water tank at Awa village in the Chhatargarh police station area of Bikaner district, Rajasthan.
Who died?
A 14-year-old girl, her two brothers aged 18 and 16, and a 21-year-old cousin, according to Dainik Bhaskar. Other reports call them three siblings and a cousin.
How did it happen?
The girl slipped and fell into the tank, and her brothers and then her cousin jumped in one after another to save her; none came out.
How big was the tank?
About 100 by 100 feet, according to the Khajuwala circle officer quoted by Dainik Bhaskar.
Was there a police investigation?
The Chhatargarh police station officer and his team reached the spot. No finding is published.
Were the four cremated?
Dainik Bhaskar reports that the four were cremated in Chhatargarh village that evening.
Were there other similar drownings that week?
Yes. Three girls drowned in a farm tank at Makrana on 12 November, and four young people drowned in one at Rupsi near Jaisalmer on 13 November.
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 Bikaner farm tank drowning happened at about 12.15 pm on Wednesday 11 November 2026, the day of Bhai Dooj, at Awa village (chak 9 AWM) in the Chhatargarh police station area of Bikaner district, Rajasthan. A 14-year-old girl fell into a large farm water tank, and her two brothers, aged 18 and 16, and a 21-year-old cousin jumped in to save her one after another. All four drowned. Dainik Bhaskar, ETV Bharat and Navbharat Times report four dead.
Dainik Bhaskar quotes the circle officer of Khajuwala that the tank, in the family’s field, measures about 100 by 100 feet. It says the girl had gone to bathe in it, slipped and fell, and that the three young men entered the water one after the other to reach her. The police station officer and his team reached the spot, and Dainik Bhaskar reports that the four were cremated in the village that evening.
This page names no one. It sets out what is reported, where the reports differ and what a deep farm tank teaches. Two similar tank drownings followed in Rajasthan in the next two days, at Makrana and Jaisalmer, and we cover them on their own pages.
What the reports say
- When: About 12.15 pm on Wednesday 11 November 2026, Bhai Dooj (Dainik Bhaskar)
- Where: Awa village, chak 9 AWM, Chhatargarh police station area, Bikaner district, Rajasthan (Dainik Bhaskar; ETV Bharat)
- Who died: A 14-year-old girl, her two brothers aged 18 and 16, and a 21-year-old cousin, the son of her father’s brother (Dainik Bhaskar); ETV Bharat and Navbharat Times say three siblings and a cousin
- The tank: A farm water storage tank, a diggi, about 100 by 100 feet, in the family’s field (Dainik Bhaskar quoting the Khajuwala circle officer)
- What happened: The girl slipped and fell into the tank; her brothers and then the cousin went in after her, one after the other, and none came out (Dainik Bhaskar; ETV Bharat; Navbharat Times)
- Response: The Chhatargarh police station officer and his team reached the spot; the four bodies were brought to hospital (Dainik Bhaskar; ETV Bharat)
- Cremation: The four were cremated in Chhatargarh village that evening (Dainik Bhaskar)
- The family: The father had four children, and now one son is left; the families of the two brothers have one son left each (Dainik Bhaskar)
- Identities: Reports name the dead and their fathers; we name no one
Where reports differ and what we do not know
- How she fell in: Dainik Bhaskar says the girl went to bathe in the tank, slipped and fell. ETV Bharat says the children of two brothers were playing when one girl fell into the water. We say she fell in and do not say why she was at the water.
- Who the four were: Navbharat Times and the Dainik Bhaskar English headline call them four siblings; Dainik Bhaskar’s text and ETV Bharat say three siblings and a cousin, the son of the father’s brother. We follow the text of the reports.
- The time: Dainik Bhaskar gives about 12.15 pm. The other two pages say afternoon or noon. We say about 12.15 pm and name Dainik Bhaskar.
- The place: ETV Bharat calls the village 9AWM and Navbharat Times calls it Awa village chak AWM; Dainik Bhaskar gives Awa village, chak 9 AWM. We follow Dainik Bhaskar.
- Not reported: None of the pages says whether the tank had a fence, steps or a cover, or whether anyone was near enough to hear the children. We do not guess.
What this teaches
A tank of 100 by 100 feet is as large as a pond and is built to hold water for irrigation, so its sides are steep and smooth and a person who falls in cannot climb out. The girl’s brothers and cousin did what most people would do, and went in after her. In deep water that often means more than one person drowns. Three farm tank drownings in three days in Rajasthan, at Bikaner on 11 November, Makrana on 12 November and Rupsi near Jaisalmer on 13 November, took eleven lives. These are early reports, not findings.
We have covered similar events, among them the Kota canal boat capsize, 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 children, our guide to child emergencies at home and school and our guide to basic first aid, including CPR cover what to do next.
We do not know whether the tank had a fence, steps or a cover, or why the girl was at the water. The police have not published a finding, and we will update this page if they or the district administration do.
- A girl falls into a farm water tank in a field at Awa village; her two brothers and a cousin jump in one after another and none comes out (Dainik Bhaskar; ETV Bharat)
- The Chhatargarh police station officer and his team reach the spot; the four bodies are brought to hospital (Dainik Bhaskar; ETV Bharat)
- The first reports appear from about 1.30 pm, and the Khajuwala circle officer describes the tank as about 100 by 100 feet (ETV Bharat; Dainik Bhaskar)
- The four are cremated together in Chhatargarh village (Dainik Bhaskar)
- Dainik Bhaskar reports the family's grief and the count of sons now left in the two families (Dainik Bhaskar)
Why consequences escalated
- Four members of one family drowned in a farm water tank at Awa village, Chhatargarh, Bikaner, on Bhai Dooj, 11 November 2026.
- A 14-year-old girl fell in; her two brothers and a cousin went in after her one after another.
- The tank measures about 100 by 100 feet, according to the circle officer quoted by Dainik Bhaskar.
- The reports differ on whether she went to bathe or was playing and on whether the four were siblings or three siblings and a cousin.
- It was the first of three farm tank drownings reported in Rajasthan in three days.
Failures and risk multipliers
- No inquiry finding has been published. The reports leave these questions open:
- Whether the tank had a fence, steps or a cover.
- Why the girl was at the water and who, if anyone, was watching.
- How long it took for help to reach the tank.
- Whether deep farm tanks in the canal area 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 bathe or play near deep 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 an awareness drive on farm tanks in canal areas.
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