Bodies of 4 Recovered From Yamuna, Drowned During Ganesh Visarjan

Image used for representational purposes. 

(Photo: AP) 

The bodies of two men and two women, who drowned during the Ganesha idol immersion, were recovered from near Palla Bakhtawarpur village in the early hours of Friday, 13 September, the Delhi Fire Service said.

The Fire Department received information regarding the drowning around 9 pm on Thursday, officials said.

A fire tender was rushed to the spot and a rescue operation initiated. The bodies were subsequently recovered, they said.

According to police, information of four people drowning in the Yamuna river near 'thoker' number 17 was received around the same time as the Fire Department.

During inquiry, it was found that a group of around 30 people were on their way to bathe in the Yamuna river after performing Ganesh puja, they said.

"They were stopped at Shani Mandir and Bakhtawar Pur, and advised by civil defence and police staff to avoid bathing in the river," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Gaurav Sharma said.

The group had initially agreed to the requests but eventually, eight of them did enter the river, Sharma said. Police were informed that eight people, who were bathing on the banks of the Yamuna, had ventured into deeper water, following which four of them drowned, officials said.

The deceased have been identified as Umesh Yadav (20), Priyanka (20), Pinki (21) and Nikit (21), all residents of Nihal Vihar, Nangloi, they added.