Four children meet watery grave in Bihar's Bhojpur district

In a shocking incident, four children of the same neighbourhood were drowned in Sone river in Bhojpur district of Bihar on Wednesday morning. The villagers alleged that illegal sand-mining has led to the death of the children.

Arrah (Bihar): In a tragic incident four children drowned in Sone river in Bhojpur district of Bihar on Wednesday morning. The children, aged between 8 to 12 years, had gone to take a bath at the sand quarrying spot of the river when the incident took place. The deceased children belonged to Nurpur village under Azaimbabad police station limits of the district.

The villagers alleged that illegal extraction of sand from the riverbed resulted in the children's death. The children fell into water-filled craters formed due to sand quarrying, the villagers said. The relatives of the deceased also alleged that a makeshift bridge has been constructed by the mafia to carry sand from the riverbed for loading on trucks. A large-sized pit has been formed due to digging of the riverbed, which the deceased kin claim to be the cause of the tragedy. The four children slipped while moving on the bridge and fell into one of the pits, leading to their deaths.

The deceased children were identified as Amit Kumar, age 12, Rohit Kumar, 8, Shubham Kumar, 10, and 9-year-old Rohit Kumar. Two of the drowned children were cousins, and the other two were neighbours, according to police.

The incident has left the village in shock, and a pall of gloom has descended over the area. The local administration rushed to the spot after receiving the information to take stock of the situation. Drivers were pressed into service to fish out the bodies. The police, with the help of local people, sent the bodies to Arrah Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination.

The tragedy has raised concerns over the illegal sand mining activities in the area, which have been a cause of concern for the villagers for some time. The villagers have been protesting against the sand mining activities, which they say have led to the depletion of the riverbed and have caused environmental damage. The incident has once again brought the issue to the forefront and has led to demands for action against those involved in illegal sand mining.