: The bodies of two sisters who drowned while trying to save their younger brother from the Saryu River in Mau district were recovered on Saturday, four days after the incident.
The bodies of Priyanshi and Pratigya were found near a temple in Mathia Gulaura village under Ubhaon police station in Ballia district, around six kilometres from where they had gone missing. Police said Pratigya was identified by her T-shirt, while the body of her elder sister, Priyanshi, was found in a mutilated condition. Only the remains of both legs were intact. Police suspect that crocodiles in the river may have damaged the body.
A 15-member team of the state disaster response force (SDRF) from Gorakhpur and a team from the PAC 20th Battalion Flood Unit in Azamgarh had been searching for the sisters since Tuesday. Circle officer Dinesh Dutt Mishra said the family of Ramvilas Yadav, a resident of Ghazipur, had gone to the Saryu River for a ritual bath on Ekadashi at around 10 am. The family included Ramvilas, his wife, two daughters, one son, his brother’s family and other relatives.
During the bath, Ramvilas’s son, Nirbhay, entered deep water and started drowning. Priyanshi jumped into the river and managed to push him to safety but was caught in the strong current. Seeing her sister in trouble, Pratigya also entered the river to rescue her, but both sisters drowned.
{{/usCountry}}During the bath, Ramvilas’s son, Nirbhay, entered deep water and started drowning. Priyanshi jumped into the river and managed to push him to safety but was caught in the strong current. Seeing her sister in trouble, Pratigya also entered the river to rescue her, but both sisters drowned.
{{/usCountry}}Both bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. Further investigation is underway.