Ballia (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 3 : A group of four children visiting Shivrampur Ghat drowned on Sunday while taking selfies in the Ganga River. According to the Ballia District Magistrate, the children had moved beyond the safe bathing zone before the fatal accident occurred.
Recounting the moments leading up to the disaster, Kumar Paswan, a family member, stated, "We had come here to bathe. When one child started srowing, the other three also drowned while trying to save him... They were taking selfies while bathing in the river. That's when this happened."
Speaking to ANI, Ballia District Magistrate (DM) Mangla Prasad Singh said, "Regarding the incident, there are two children on the banks of the Ganges River at Shivrampur Ghat. The incident occurred around 7:30 or 8:00 a.m., when four children drowned. Our teams searched for them and found three dead bodies. One body has yet to be found... They are all relatives. They had come to bathe, and the children went too far ahead. Perhaps their families didn't notice. We believe they went 30-35 meters in. "
Expressing confusion over how the group moved so far out, DM Mangla Prasad Singh further said, "First, one child drowned, and then three others drowned while trying to save him... They were also taking selfies. Perhaps they slipped and drowned while taking selfies... There are a fair number of boats here. All the arrangements are in place... The water pressure wasn't too much... It's a very large space. There's no problem there, and a path has been built for bathing up to 10-15 meters... So we can't understand how this happened. Even the family members are not able to say anything..."
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, sharing his grief in a post on X, said, "The tragic incident resulting in loss of lives while taking selfies and reels at the river ghats in Ballia district is extremely heartbreaking. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I pray to Lord Shri Ram that the departed souls attain eternal peace and the grief-stricken families are granted the strength to bear this immense sorrow. Om Shanti," the post added.
According to the district police, four children drowned while bathing in the Ganges River at Shivrampur Ghat in the Ballia Kotwali PS area. The Police have recovered the bodies of three children. Operations are underway to recover the fourth.
Further details are awaited.
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