Two girls drown while bathing in river in Bihar’s Bhagalpur

Patna, Aug 28 (IANS) Three girls went missing after drowning while bathing in a river in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district on Friday.

Around 11.30 a.m., two other girls who were bathing with them raised an alarm, following which family members and villagers rushed to the spot and launched a search.

Villagers informed the police and local administration, and a search operation was initiated.

After an extensive effort, two girls were recovered from the water, but they had died. The search for the third girl was continuing.

The deceased have been identified as Monali Kumari (17), a Class 10 student at Uchcha Vidyalaya Budhchak, and Chanda Kumari (16), a Class 8 student at Madhya Vidyalaya Olni Tola.

Both were daughters of Munna Paswan of Olni Tola.

The third girl, Abhilasha Kumari (8), daughter of Arvind Paswan, was a Class 4 student at Madhya Vidyalaya Olni Tola.

She was still missing at the time of the report.

According to local residents, the three girls had gone to bathe in the river at the Margang Ghat in Olni Tola under Pirpainti police station in the district along with two other girls on Raksha Bandhan.

They were reportedly swept away by the strong current. The two girls who escaped attempted to help them and raised the alarm.

Villagers subsequently entered the water and recovered the dead bodies of Monali and Chanda.

Efforts continued to locate Abhilasha with the assistance of local residents, police and administrative officials.

The incident cast a pall of gloom over the village on the day of Raksha Bandhan.

The families of the three girls were devastated, with their mothers, Rani Devi and Kranti Devi, reportedly inconsolable. Their brothers had been preparing to celebrate Raksha Bandhan, but the tragedy turned the festive atmosphere into mourning.

Mukhiya representative Sukesh Yadav, Circle Officer Chandrashekhar Kumar and Block Development Officer Abhimanyu Kumar also reached the spot and took stock of the rescue efforts.

Police and administrative officials remained present as the search for the missing girl continued.

–IANS

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