Two Students Drown in Ganga Near Pontoon Bridge-4 in Prayagraj; One Body Recovered, Search On for Missing Teen
Prayagraj: A tragic incident unfolded on Tuesday afternoon near Pontoon Bridge No. 4 in the mela area when two school students drowned while bathing in the Ganga.
Despite hours of search operations carried out by police and divers, only one body was recovered, while the second student remained missing till late evening.
Four friends from Jhunsi had gone to bathe in the river. The missing teenager, Karthik, could not be traced despite an extensive search in the Ganga that continued into the evening.
The deceased has been identified as 15-year-old Aditya Patel, a resident of Pahsi village in Phulpur.
Aditya had been living at his maternal uncle’s house in Katka, Jhunsi, where he was studying in Class 8.
On Tuesday at around 2 p.m., he went to the Ganga along with his neighbor and friend, 16-year-old Karthik Tiwari, also a Class 8 student, and two other classmates, Shivam and Satyam.
While bathing in the river, Aditya and Karthik reportedly drifted into deeper waters and began to drown.
Shivam and Satyam attempted to rescue them, but the strong current made their efforts unsuccessful.
Their cries for help alerted people nearby, who rushed to the spot and informed the families. Police from Jhunsi police station also arrived with a team of divers to launch a rescue operation.
After strenuous efforts, Aditya Patel’s body was recovered near Pontoon Bridge No. 3.
Amid the heartbreaking pleas and emotional appeals of the grieving family members, the police handed over the body without conducting a post-mortem examination.
However, despite continued search operations until late evening, Karthik Tiwari could not be found. Karthik had already lost his father, Ajay, some time ago.
His mother, Renu, along with his two sisters and one brother, remained seated at the riverbank, anxiously waiting and hoping for his return.
The four boys shared a close friendship, making the tragedy even more devastating for their families and the local community.
Harishankar Mishra, in charge of the New Jhunsi outpost, stated that the search for Karthik would resume on Wednesday morning with the assistance of the water police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
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