Bhagalpur (Bihar) [India], September 11 (ANI): Five people, including four children, drowned after falling into water-filled ditches in Koyli Khutaha village of Bihar's Bhagalpur district, local officials and residents said on Friday.
The incident occurred amid heavy rainfall and rising water levels in several parts of the state, with flooding reported across multiple districts in recent days.
Devendra Kumar, Mukhiya of the Gram Panchayat, confirmed the deaths and said the victims included one woman and four children. He said three of the children belonged to the same family.
"We received information that four children and one woman lost their lives. Some of the victims had farmland in the area," Kumar said.
"We have not witnessed this ourselves, but it is an extremely heartbreaking incident. Three of the children, two boys and a girl, were from the same family whereas the fourth child belonged to a labourer's family," he added.
A neighbour, Rajesh Kumar, said the victims had gone to check on their farmland near the village when they fell into a deep ditch filled with water.
"A total of five family members died in the incident. They had gone to check their fields, which are located near the village," he said.
Devendra Kumar said there were deep, water-filled ditches on both sides of the road leading to the fields. He said one child drowned after falling into a ditch, while others also fell into the water during an attempt to rescue the child.
"There are deep ditches filled with water on both sides due to which one child reportedly fell into the water and while trying to rescue the child, the others also fell in. None of them knew how to swim," he said. (ANI)
Bhagalpur: Four children, woman drown in floodwaters
