Mysuru: Despite warning, Harsha jumped into the “pond of fire” to lose his life, said friend Manoj, who is recuperating at the government-run K R hospital from the burns suffered during the tragic accident.

Among the four friends who went to play a game of cricket, Harsha suffered serious burns and eventually succumbed in the hospital after 2 days.

“I suffered injuries in the leg first and cried for help. Friends Yeshwanth, Ullas and Harsha came running to help me”, recalling the moments of the tragic incident, Manoj said.

“I warned Harsha not to venture into the dangerous area and requested him to stay away. Despite cautioning Harsha jumped into the dangerous zone, more out of curiosity to suffer serious burns”, Manoj said.

It may be recalled that a 14-year-old boy named Harsha had suffered severe burns after he ventured into an open site in Belavetta village limits. The boy succumbed to the injuries after battling for life for two days. Close on the heels of the death of the boy, the locals alleged that the boy may have died due to the chemical wastes that are released by the industries in the vicinity into the open land. However, another section has been arguing that there might be some underlying geological factor that may have caused the death.