Sonepat: Two brothers feared drowned in Yamuna

The boys aged 17 and 15 went take a dip in the river when they were swept away by the strong current near Bega Ghat of Sonepat; their friend was saved by passersby

Two brothers taking a dip in the Yamuna were swept away by the strong current near Bega Ghat in Sonepat on Saturday, officials said. A team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other divers made efforts but could not trace Satyam, 15, and Shivam, 17, both residents of Sankhera village. Shivam was a Class 11 student, while Satyam studied in Class 10 at a government school in their village.

NDRF and local divers are trying to trace them.

The missing boys’ friend, Prince, who was with them, tried to save both but was nearly drowned before a group of men near the river rescued him. Their families said the boys had left home saying they were going to learn how to ride a bike.

According to Prince, the victims told him that they knew swimming. Their father, Ravinder, a labourer, said the family hailed from Uttar Pradesh and had been living in the village for the past 26 years. “I bought a bike in 2022. On Saturday morning, they left with the bike, saying they were going to learn how to ride. We did not know that they had gone to the Yamuna ghat,” he said.

Police station in-charge Bir Singh said a search was underway, but there was no trace of the two boys.