In a tragic incident, 22 people died due to drowning in Bihar's nine districts in the last 24 hours. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed condolences over the deaths and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to each family of the deceased. According to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office, five people drowned in Bhojpur, four in Jahanabad, three each in Patna and Rohtas, two each in Darbhanga and Nawada and one in Kaimur and Aurangabad.
In Bhojpur, four girls and a woman drowned taking selfies during a bath on the banks of the Son river in the Chandi police station area. They gathered near the river on the occasion of Jitiya festival.
In Patna, three people drowned in the river in Paliganj sub-division on Saturday. Boys from different villages had gone to take a bath late evening in the Son River located in Mahabalipur village. Suddenly, they began drowning one by one after they went into deep water. Three people, including two minors, died in the incident.
The deceased have been identified as Kush Kumar (25 years), Anand Kumar (16 years) and Lavkush Kumar (12 years).