Aurangabad: A woman drowned and 2 others, including a 12-year-old boy, went missing in separate floodwater-related incidents in Arwal district over the past 36 hours.In the latest incident on Saturday, Ripu Kumar (12), a resident of Selarpur village under Karpi police station, was swept away by a strong current in Baburain Ahar. He had gone with three friends to see the floodwaters along the Selarpur-Dhamoul road. The boys later entered the water to bathe when Ripu was caught in the current.His friends tried to pull him out but failed as the force of the water dragged him away. Villagers rushed to the spot after hearing their cries and launched a search operation. Police also reached the site with local swimmers, but his body had not been recovered till the filing of this report.A day earlier, two separate incidents in Kurtha block had left a woman drowned and a youth went missing in floodwaters.Viraj Singh, a resident of Kamaria village, was swept away by a strong flood current in a river near Helalpur-Bijrukh village under Ibrahimapur panchayat. Local residents continued searching for him, but he remained untraced.Shanti Devi drowned in floodwaters at Madarpur village under Kodamrai panchayat. Her body was later recovered and sent to Arwal Sadar Hospital for postmortem.The incidents have heightened concern over safety in flood-affected areas, where swollen water bodies and strong currents continue to pose risks to residents.
