Patna, Nov 5 : Three children in an age group of 12 to 16 tragically drowned in the Ganga River in Bihar's Bhagalpur district on Tuesday.





The incident took place at Mohanpur Diara, within the Ekchari police station's jurisdiction.



Bhagalpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anand Kumar said that the children had gone to the riverbank to bathe.



'During the bath, one of the children ventured too deep into the river and began to drown. In an attempt to rescue him, the other two children followed but also lost their lives in the water,' Kumar said.



The victims have been identified as Jeevan Kumar, Ashutosh Kumar, and Mausham Kumari. All of them are residents of Mohanpur village.



Eyewitnesses said that a lack of essential safety measures at the riverbank, especially concerning the Chhath Puja, a significant festival when many people visit the river for ritual bathing.



The absence of barricades to warn visitors of dangerous spots, combined with the lack of on-site divers, has raised concerns about the safety arrangements at the Ghat.



After the accident, local residents alerted the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and district police, who arrived and recovered the children's bodies.



The incident, which occurred on the first day of the Chhath festival, has cast a sombre mood over the region, leaving the local community in shock. Family members of the deceased have been notified, and the community is mourning this heartbreaking loss.



Such an accident underscores the risks associated with unsupervised access to rivers, especially in rural areas where children often visit water bodies without adult supervision.



This is the biggest Chhath Ghat in the Diara area of Bhagalpur, where more than 5000 people are expected to offer prayers to Lord Surya.

/IANS