Patna, Oct 27 (IANS) A major tragedy struck in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district on Monday when four children drowned in a water pit while bathing on Monday.
The incident occurred around 11 AM in Navtoliya village under the Ismailpur police station area of Naugachhia sub-division.
According to police, a group of six children from Chattu Tola had gone to bathe in a water pit that had filled with water from the recent floods in the Ganga River.
While two managed to come out safely, four children drowned one after another.
The deceased have been identified as Prince Kumar (10), son of Mithilesh Kumar, and Nandan Kumar (10), son of Kishori Mandal, both residents of Chattu Singh Tola. Two others are yet to be identified.
Villagers and local divers pulled the children out of the pit and rushed them to Ismailpur primary health centre, where doctors declared them dead.
The incident has plunged the entire village into mourning, coinciding with the ongoing Chhath festivities in the region.
Upon receiving information, Ismailpur SHO and his team reached the spot, controlled the situation, and sent the bodies for post-mortem to Naugachhia sub-divisional hospital.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
“The pits in the area are filled with water from the Ganga due to recent flooding. The children entered one of them without realising its depth. The pit was slippery and muddy, and as they went inside, they failed to come out of it,” the SHO said.
“We are waiting for the post-mortem reports of the deceased. We are also taking the statements of the survivors,” the SHO added.
Hundreds of villagers gathered at the site as grief spread through the locality.
Earlier on Sunday, two teenage girls drowned in a river near Ayaar village under Agiaon Bazaar police station in Bhojpur district.
The victims have been identified as 14-year-old Samrajiya Khatoon and 15-year-old Ashmin Khatoon, both residents of the same village and close friends.
According to an official, the girls had gone to the river to wash clothes when they accidentally slipped and fell into deep water.
A local girl who witnessed the incident raised an alarm, prompting villagers to rush to the scene.
Despite their efforts, they were only able to recover the bodies.
–IANS
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