Toddler drowns in River
A man swims in the flooded waters of the river Yamuna (Reuters/Anindito Mukherjee)

A British toddler fell from her father's shoulders and drowned in a swollen river in India on Thursday.

Eighteen-month-old Manvi Reddy was visiting relatives in India with her parents, who have lived in Britain for 15 years. They live in Coventry, the Mail Online reported.

Doctor Megha Shyam Reddy, Manvi's father, screamed for help as he watched his daughter being carried away by the water.

A search for the girl was launched immediately, and she was found dead by rescue divers four miles away from the spot where she fell in.

The tragedy began when Reddy paused on a bridge over the river Musi in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, to take a photo.

Manvi sat on her father's left shoulder, while her brothers Sanvi, 5, and Pramog, 10, remained by his side. The toddler then slipped and plunged into the river below.

The family, which had come to Hyderabad to attend a family wedding, was due to return to Britain next week after a month in India.

Anaesthetist Reddy and his wife Pratibha were comforted at the scene by family members and bystanders attracted by Reddy's screams of anguish.

India London