Three children drown while fishing in Assam’s Goalpara

Three children drowned in a pond at Garokata Beel in Lakhipur in Assam’s Goalpara district while they had gone fishing with their mother, police said.

The incident took place in the Darirpar area under Baguan Police Station. According to reports, several children from the Chatabari area under Rangjuli Police Station had gone to Garokata Beel with their mother to fish.

While they were fishing, three children reportedly fell into a deep section of the waterbody and drowned.

The deceased have been identified as Jatingkar Rabha, Diya Rabha and Nilkrip Rabha.

Local residents launched a search operation and recovered the three children from the water. Baguan and Rangjuli police later reached the spot and recovered the bodies.

The bodies were sent to Goalpara Shaheed Nidhanu Ram Rajbongshi Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Local residents alleged that parts of the waterbody had been excavated using excavators during the dry season, leaving deep pits at several locations. They claimed that the children may have fallen into one of these deep sections while fishing.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident and are examining the circumstances that led to the drownings.

The deaths have cast a pall of grief over the area.