Patna, May 27 (IANS): Three brothers drowned in the Ganga in Bihar's Bhagalpur district on Friday afternoon, police said.
The deceased were identified as Rahul Kumar, 22, Rohit Kumar, 20, and their cousin Shivam Kumar, 14.
The three, along with other relatives, went to the riverbank at Banteshwar Asthan to perform the death rituals of their sibling. After shaving their heads, they went into the river to take a dip, but did not realise the depth and drowned. By the time, somebody could try to come to their rescue, they disappeared in the water.
The relatives present at the river bank called local police and the State Disaster Management Force, who retrieved the bodies and handed them over to their kin.
The family members of the deceased said that due to illegal sand mining, the depth of the river is uneven, and the district administration has not declared the dangerous Ghats, leading to frequent accidents.