Five members of a family, including a 13-year-old boy, drowned in the Sukhnei River in Devri Singhpura village, Mauranipur, on Tuesday afternoon while performing ritual dips during Shradh ceremonies.
The deceased were identified as Anoop Tiwari, 41, his son Arpit, 13, his nephews Abhinay Tiwari, 26, Shreyansh Tiwari, 22, and Pushkar Shukla, 26. Four of the victims were residents of Devri Singhpura, while Pushkar was from the Jalaun district.
According to police, the family had gathered in the village on Monday for the Shradh ceremony and visited the riverbank on Tuesday to perform the associated rituals. While taking a dip, Anoop reportedly slipped into a deep stretch of the river.
The other four family members attempted to rescue him, one after another, but also lost their footing and drowned, officials said. While the river is generally considered shallow near the banks, investigators believe the group encountered an unexpectedly deep section.
Mauranipur sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Manoj Kumar Bharti and circle officer Ratneshwar Singh arrived at the scene following reports of the incident. Local divers, assisted by villagers, launched a search operation and recovered all five bodies. Despite resuscitation attempts by medical staff at a nearby community health centre, all five were declared dead.
Avdesh Shroti, a neighbour who arrived at the scene, noted that the victims were familiar with the area and were experienced swimmers. “The family had assembled here for the Shradh ceremony. They frequented this river, and the water near the banks was not known to be dangerous,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Avdesh Shroti, a neighbour who arrived at the scene, noted that the victims were familiar with the area and were experienced swimmers. “The family had assembled here for the Shradh ceremony. They frequented this river, and the water near the banks was not known to be dangerous,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}SDM Bharti called the incident a tragic loss and stated that compensation would be provided to the bereaved families according to government norms. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examinations.