Patna, Aug 17 (IANS) A tragic incident occurred at Ranisarai Ganga Ghat in Patna’s Bakhtiyarpur block on Monday when seven girls from the same family got caught in the strong current while bathing in the Ganga River.
Three were rescued by locals, while four others went missing.
The incident occurred at around 7:30 a.m. According to local residents, the girls, who were cousins, had gone to the ghat to bathe.
One of them reportedly moved into deeper water and began struggling. When the others attempted to help her, they too were caught in the strong current.
People present at the ghat immediately launched a rescue effort.
Several locals entered the river and managed to bring three girls to safety.
However, the remaining four were swept into deeper water and could not initially be located.
The missing girls have been identified as Aarti Kumari (21) and Nandani Kumari (16), daughters of Awadhesh Chandravanshi; Radhika Kumari (15), daughter of Kamlesh Chandravanshi; and Babli Kumari (6), daughter of Mantu Chandravanshi.
After being informed about the incident, police and administrative officials reached the spot.
An SDRF team was subsequently deployed to conduct a search operation in the river.
During the search, two bodies were recovered, while efforts to locate the remaining two girls are continuing.
The strong current and depth of the river are making the search operation difficult, with SDRF personnel searching different sections of the river.
As news of the incident spread, family members and villagers gathered at the ghat and demanded immediate deployment of an SDRF team.
Amid frustration over the reported delay in launching the search, villagers briefly blocked the road for around 20 minutes, disrupting traffic.
The blockade was later lifted after the rescue operation began.
A large number of relatives remain at the riverbank, anxiously waiting for updates as the SDRF continues its search.
The incident, involving several children and young women from the same family, has left the entire area deeply shaken.
The bodies have been sent to the Barh Subdivisional Hospital for the post-mortem.
–IANS
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