Gaya/Sitamarhi (Bihar): At least six people, including two boy Scouts, died in two incidents of drowning in Bihar, officials said on Wednesday. The incidents occur in Gaya and Sitamarhi districts. Two boy Scouts drowned in the Phalgu river in Gaya district while bathing on Wednesday, an official said.
The two, members of Bharat Scouts and Guides, were among the cadets who were in Gaya to work as volunteers during the Pitru Paksha Mela'. On the last day of the fair, a total of five cadets went to a ghat not designated for bathing, and two of them drowned, District Magistrate Thiyagarajan S M said.
The three others were rescued by the personnel of the State Disaster Management Authority. The students had gone to take a bath there in their personal capacity as they were not on duty, the DM said. The district administration has provided an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased, the official said. The authorities did not reveal the identity of the deceased.
In the other incident on Tuesday evening, four people, including two teenage girls, drowned in Sitamarhi district of Bihar. District Magistrate Richie Pandey told PTI that the incident took place in Bathnaha area when the victims who had gone near a pond lost their balance and fell into the water.
Local police and SDRF personnel fished out the bodies and rescued one person. She has been admitted to a medical facility and her condition is reported to be out of danger," Pandey said.
