Bhagalpur: Five people, including four members of the same family, drowned in floodwaters in Bhagalpur district on Thursday.The victims were identified as Mancho Devi, 35, wife of Mukesh Sah, her sons Abhishek Kumar, 9, and Akshay Kumar, 8, daughter Sonakshi Kumari, 13, and Anshu Priya, 16, daughter of neighbour Lukho Devi.The incident occurred near Sah Tola in Koyali-Khutha village under Bypass police station. According to preliminary information, floodwater had accumulated over approach roads and ditches in the locality. Soil erosion beneath the swirling water had washed away the stretch between an approach road and deep ditches, leaving the area dangerous for people trying to move to safer places.The victims were using the village road to reach a safer place when one of the children suddenly slipped and fell into a ditch filled with floodwater. In an attempt to save the child, the others entered the deep water one after another and drowned.Hearing their screams, villagers and local divers rushed to the spot and tried to rescue them. After considerable effort, all five were pulled out of the deep floodwater and taken to the emergency ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital (JLNMCH) in Bhagalpur, where doctors declared them brought dead.The incident triggered panic in the locality, while relatives and villagers gathered at the hospital after learning about the tragedy.Khutha Panchayat chief Devendra Kumar, who reached JLNMCH to console the families, demanded that the district administration and state disaster management department provide ex-gratia compensation, funeral assistance and all due benefits under the disaster relief rules without administrative delay.Police took possession of the bodies and started the process for post-mortem. Bypass police station SHO Vikas Kumar said an investigation had been started to determine the exact cause of the drownings.
