E-Paper
Four, including three minors, drown in the Ganga
An RAF personnel and three children, including his own, drowned while bathing at the Phaphamau ghat in the Ganga. Bodies were retrieved after a few hours.
In a tragic incident, an RAF personnel, his two minor children and his neighbour’s son drowned in the Ganga while taking a bath at the Phaphamau ghat on Wednesday morning.
An immediate rescue operation was launched, and their bodies were fished out a few hours later. Senior RAF and police officials also reached the ghat on receiving information.
The deceased have been identified as Umesh Yadav, 41, his kids Vivek, 11, and daughter Deepshikha, 8, and their neighbour’s son Abhinav, 10.
Umesh Yadav from Lakhisarai in Bihar, was a Rapid Action Force constable posted with 101 battalion in Phaphamau. He lived in Shantipuram locality with his wife Sangeeta and two children, son Vivek, and daughter Deepshikha.
On Wednesday morning at around 7am, Umesh went to Phaphamau Ghat in Shivkuti area with his children. His neighbour Abhay Singh’s son Abhinav also accompanied him to the ghat. Abhay too is an RAF constable.
While bathing, all four of them went into deep waters and started drowning. The locals at the ghat raised an alarm following which some boatmen tried to rescue them. However, Umesh and the three children disappeared in deep water. Shivkuti police reached the spot and a group of divers were engaged to search for them. After a few hours, bodies of Umesh, his son Vivek and that of Abhinav were fished out.
Deepshikha’s body was found two hours later. Umesh’s wife Sangeeta and Abhinav’s family also reached the ghat on receiving information.
SHO Shivkuti police station Manish Kumar Tripathi said the bodies have been sent for autopsy.
It is worth mentioning that over two dozen persons have drowned at different ghats on the Ganga and Yamuna river along with Sangam during the past few weeks. Despite warning boards put up by police, people are taking risk of entering into deep waters and even cross barricades.