In three separate incidents, a total of seven people including a brother-sister duo drowned in Assam on the day of Goru Bihu, the first day of the Rongali Bihu.
While two persons died in Dibrugarh district, five others including a girl died in Biswanath district.
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Two youths drowned in Buridehing river at Lezai Bahbari under Barbaruah police station in upper Assam’s Dibrugarh district on Wednesday.
They went to wash their cattle in the river on the occasion of Goru Bihu.
The deceased have been identified as Sanu Khanikar and Shirumoni Bora.
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State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel fished out the body of Sanu Khanikar after a hectic search operation but could not trace Shirumoni Bora.
“Both of them went to wash their cattle on the occasion of Goru Bihu in Buridehing river but they were washed away in the river,” said an eyewitness.
“The SDRF team has launched a search operation in the river to trace the other youth but till now it has not been able to trace the whereabouts of Shirumoni Bora. The district administration is helping the SDRF team by providing all assistance,” said a police official.
In two separate incidents in Biswanath district, a total of 5 people including a girl drowned in river Ghiladhari on the day of Goru Bihu.
While a youth, identified as Bhargab Prateem Mantri and his younger sister Akanya Mantri drowned while taking bath in river Ghiladhari at Purani Gaon in Sootea, three other youths drowned in the same river at Sootea.
Bhargab Prateem Mantri died while jumped into the river to rescue his sister, Akanya, who drowned as she attempted to cross the river.
Later, the villagers recovered the bodies of the brother-sister duo.
The three other youths, who died in river Ghiladhari in a separate place at Sootea, have been identified as Mausam Ojah, Bikas Hazarika and Abhijit Ojah.
The three youths went missing while taking bath in river Ghiladhari.
The villagers were later able to fish out the bodies of the youths with the help of boats.
The bodies of the deceased have been sent for conducting post-mortem.
Biswanath MLA Pramod Borthakur rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation.
Both the incidents, that have taken place on Goru Bihu, have descended a pall of gloom across Assam.