Patna: Three teenage boys drowned in the Ganga while taking a bath at Hetanpur Ghat under Shahpur police station area in Danapur of Patna district on Sunday morning.According to police, five children had gone to the river when three of them ventured into deeper waters and were swept away. The two others tried to rescue them but failed and rushed back to the village to alert family members.Villagers and relatives soon gathered at the riverbank and launched a frantic search. After extensive efforts, the three children were pulled out and taken to the sub-divisional hospital, where doctors declared them dead.The deceased were identified as Piyush Kumar (10), son of Dharamveer Rai; Tej Kumar (11), son of Satyendra Rai; and Prince Kumar (7), son of Amitabh — all residents of Hetanpur village. The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the village.Police reached the spot shortly after receiving information. The bodies were sent to Danapur sub-divisional hospital for post-mortem and later handed over to the families after legal formalities.Shahpur SHO Naveen Kumar Singh said the information was received around 10am and confirmed that the three children died due to drowning.Block development officer Chandan Kumar said immediate assistance of Rs 20,000 each has been provided to the families. He added that an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each will also be given under disaster management provisions.
