4 minor girls drown in Madhepura water body

PATNA: Four minor girls drowned while plucking flowers from a water body and one somehow managed to survive at Laxmipur Lalchand village under the Bihariganj police station area in Madhepura district around 6am on Saturday.
SHO of Bihariganj police station Akhilesh Kumar said the four victims – Libha Kumari (14), Preeti Kumari (10), Mausam Kumari (12) and Kalyani Kumari (12) – were from different families.
The SHO said while Libha was a resident of Laxmipur Lalchand village, the other three victims hailed from the neighbouring Biwi Ranpal village.
“The girls went deep into the water body looking for flowers and got drowned,” the SHO said, adding the fifth girl was rushed to a local hospital in semi-conscious condition as she had also gulped water.
“The bodies of the girls were sent to sadar hospital for post-mortem. A case of unnatural death was registered on the basis of a written complaint submitted by Libha’s father Niranjan Mistry,” he added.
Bihariganj circle officer Nagesh Kumar Mehta said the process to provide Rs 4 lakh ex gratia to the kin of each of the deceased had been initiated. “Aggrieved families have been asked to provide their identity cards and bank details so that the ex gratia amount could be provided to them,” the CO said, adding Libha’s kin will get ex gratia from Bihariganj circle office and the rest three families from Udakishunganj circle office.