A tragic accident took place on the second day of the Kavad Yatra in Haridwar. Four teenage pilgrims who had come to fetch Kavad drowned in the Ganga canal. After extensive efforts, the bodies of all four were recovered from the canal. The accident took place near the Jatwara bridge in Jwalapur police station area. It is reported that all the pilgrims had come to Haridwar with a group from Chandigarh to fetch Ganga water. The age of the deceased is estimated to be around 16 to 18 years.
According to reports, a Kawariya was bathing in the Ganga near the Jatwara bridge when he drowned in the canal. His three other companions jumped into the water to save him, but they too were pulled into the deep water. All four companions disappeared in the water within a few minutes, causing panic at the scene.
It is being said that the water level in the Ganga canal has decreased due to siltation, due to which the pilgrims went to bathe in the middle of the Ganga canal near the Jatwara bridge. However, they failed to measure the depth of the pit in the Ganga canal. A teenager drowned in the pit and disappeared. Other teenagers also went into the pit to save him, but they also failed to measure the depth. In a short time, all four disappeared in the water.
As soon as the information was received, teams of water police and local police reached the spot. After a long rescue operation, the bodies of all four pilgrims were taken out of the Ganga canal. SP City Abhay Singh said that the police have taken possession of the bodies and sent them to the district hospital for postmortem. The families of the deceased have been informed about the accident.