Three friends drown in Rapti while bathing in Gorakhpur

One of them managed to swim back to the shore and alerted nearby residents, who informed the authorities

: Tragedy struck Bariyarpur village under Chiluwatal police station limits on Friday afternoon when three youths, all close friends, drowned in the River Rapti near an under-construction bridge at Bajarhan village while bathing in the river.

The incident caused panic among their companions and grief among family members. (For representation only)

Officials said four friends from the same village had gone to the riverbank for a bath. During bathing, they moved into deeper water and began to drown. One of them managed to swim back to the shore and alerted nearby residents, who informed the authorities.

Rescue teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police and trained divers rushed to the spot and started a search operation. Boats and divers were deployed to scan the river stretch to trace the missing youths.

District disaster management officer Gautam Gupta said poor light conditions affected the rescue work. “Teams are actively engaged, and divers are searching the area where the youths were last seen. Efforts will continue until they are traced,” he said. Eyewitnesses said the youths had been sitting and chatting on the riverbank before entering the water to swim. They were reportedly caught in a deep channel.