Five young men drowned in the Ganges river under the Gandhi Maidan Police Stoilt Wednesday night on the occasion of Maha Shivratri’s Maha Shivratri.
So far, the National Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has recovered three bodies, and a search for the remaining two agencies is underway.
Six young men from Krishna Niwas Lodge-Vishal Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Rajiv Kumar, Golu Kumar and Ashish Kumar-played volleyball on the river bank.
Three other people, including Rehan and Govinda who were bathing nearby, joined their match.
During the game, Vishal bathed in the Ganges and began drowning.
The other six were eager to save him, but all were swept by the present. The other two people did not participate in the rescue.
The boatman who witnessed the incident threw a bamboo pole and managed to save the Ashes and Sachin. The SDRF team was deployed for rescue operations.
After three hours of search, the SDRF team recovered two bodies, followed by Govinda’s body on Wednesday evening.
A search for two missing young people is still in progress. After the incident, the victim’s family was deeply troubled.
Rehan’s father said in shock: “My son came with his three friends and did not inform anyone. At about 9 o’clock, I received a call saying that my son had drowned in the Ganges. I arrived at the scene and learned that a total of five young people had drowned, three of which were recovered. The remaining two were still missing.”
PATNA Police Deputy Chief (Town) Prakash confirmed the ongoing rescue work: “Young people came to Collectorate Ghat to bathe, five of them drowned. The SDRF team is constantly looking for missing teams. Police are also present at the scene to assist in the operation. So far, three have been recovered.”
The incident highlighted the urgent need for stricter safety measures in the river ghats, especially at festival parties.
Authorities urge people to be cautious when bathing in the river, especially during holiday parties.
