10 die in West Bengal on New Year’s Eve

Five youngsters drowned in Damodar while another five were killed in a road accident in Hooghly district

As many as 10 people died in two separate incidents in Bengal on New Year’s Eve, the police said on Monday.

In one incident, five youngsters drowned after celebrating New Year on the banks of Damodar in Bengal on Sunday, the police said. (Representational Photo)

In one incident, five youngsters drowned after celebrating New Year on the banks of Damodar in Bengal on Sunday, the police said.

All 21 years old, residents of Sripally area in West Burdwan, had gone for a picnic on the banks of the Damodar near Burnpur. They had stepped into the quicksand on the river bed and were sucked in the waters.

“The area where they went for picnic is not frequented by revelers,” said Debasish Banerjee, a local resident and former councilor of Asansol municipality.

The police said a ban has been imposed on going into the river in those areas due to strong currents.

The dead were identified as Suvendu Quazi, Parichay Chatterjee, Pratik Nandi, Rahul Debnath and Debabrata Roy.

In another incident, five car passengers were killed by a truck in Hooghly district while they were returning home from Digha on the New Year’s Eve.

Those killed were Abu Bakar, 37, Marjina Begam, 37, Mohammad Khalil, 31, Oshman Ali, 16, and Mariyam Khatun, 20.