Patna, Nov 6 (IANS): On the first day of the Chhath festival in Bihar, five people drowned in separate incidents across Patna and Begusarai districts on Tuesday.

In Patna’s Maner block, a tragic incident occurred when Neetu Devi, a 38-year-old woman, drowned in the Ganga River.

Neetu, the wife of Amarjeet Paswan, a watchman at the Maner Police Station, had gone to Dasweshpur Ghat to bathe.

Nikhil Anand, BJP’s OBC Wing National General Secretary and a local resident, shared details of the incident, noting that despite efforts by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Neetu’s body could not be located.

“We have requested the Danapur Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) to continue rescue operations on Wednesday to recover the body,” Anand said.

The other four persons including three teenagers drowned in Begusarai district, bringing the total to five across the region.

Rahul Kumar, a 13-year-old Class sixth student, drowned while bathing in the river under the jurisdiction of Chakia police station. He was a resident of Malhi Bind Toli village.

Sushanshu Kumar, an 18-year-old resident of Bela Megh Chakdwar village in Samastipur district, also drowned while bathing in the Ganga River at Jhamatia Ghat located in the adjoining Begusarai district. Sushanshu, who was living in Delhi, had returned to Bihar specifically for the Chhath festival.

Priyanshu Kumar, also known as Golu, a 16-year-old, drowned at Makhdumpur village under Mansurchak police station while taking a bath in the river. He was a student in Class nine.

Mohammad Khalil, a 35-year-old daily wage labourer of Singhaul village, drowned in the Ganga River near Singhaul police station. He had gone to the riverbank to bathe and tragically lost his life.

These tragic incidents underscore the risks associated with riverside gatherings during festivals, as well as the ongoing need for improved safety measures like barricading, and deployment of swimmers and divers at riverbanks during high-traffic events like Chhath Puja.