Two persons of a marriage party drowned after their SUV fell into the Ganga while being ferried on a boat to the other side of the river.
PATNA: Two persons of a marriage party drowned after their SUV fell into the Ganga while being ferried on a boat to the other side of the river.
According to an official of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), at the time of the incident, the boat was carrying 3 four-wheelers across the Ganga in Patna's Jethuli ghat.
Eight persons, who were part of a marriage procession, were seated in the SUV to reach the other side of the river under Raghopur police station under Vaishali district for the marriage function.
The marriage party was on the way from Indira Nagar Navratanpur under Kankarbagh police station in Patna to the house of Sakindar Rai, the bride's father, in Rampur Bhathi village under Raghopur police station in Vaishali.
Upendra Rai, the father of groom Shambhu Rai arrived with the marriage party at Jethuli village to cross the river. He had hired a boat to cross the river. The SUV was boarded on the boat along with two more four-wheelers. When the boat started and covered around 15 feet from the bank of the river, the vehicle fell into the river.
"There were eight persons, including four children, in the the SUV. Through six of them swam to safety, two youths who are said to be friends of groom Shambhu Rai, drowned and disappeared in water," said Upendra Rai.
The water level in the Ganga river increases during the monsoon season. The SDRF officials are conducting a rescue operation.