10 girls drown in Bihar

In a tragic incident, ten girls drowned in water bodies in Bihar’s Gaya and Patna districts on Friday, police said.

As many as 21 girls slipped in deep water in a dam in Barwadih village under Barachatti police station area in Gaya district where they were taking bath on a festive occasion, Superintendent of Police, City, Rakesh Kumar said.

The bodies of six girls have been recovered by the jawans of CRPF’s CoBRA battalion, he said.

A rescue operation has been launched to look for more bodies as many other girls were feared drowned, Kumar said.

The victims have been identified as Puja Kumari (15), Poonam Kumari (19), Pinki Kumari (13), Rambati Kumari (10), Kalawati Kumari (12) and Puja Kumari (12), he said, adding that the bodies have been sent for post—mortem.

All these girls were observing fast to pray for the long life of their brothers on the occasion of a religious ritual, the SP said.

In Patna district, four minor girls drowned in a water body in Jainandanpur village under Fatuha police station area, police said.

The victims were identified as Arti (13), Rinki (12), Nitu (12).The bodies were recovered and handed over to their families for last rites after autopsy.