Two dead, two missing after seven girls swept by Ganga current at Patna's Bakhtiyarpur
Synopsis
Seven cousins went to bathe at a Patna ghat on Monday morning — two are dead, two are still missing, and the SDRF is searching a river too deep and fast to yield easy answers. The youngest victim is just six years old.
Key Takeaways
Seven girls from the same family were swept by the Ganga River current at Ranisarai Ganga Ghat , Bakhtiyarpur , on 17 August at around 7:30 am .
Three girls were rescued by locals; two bodies have been recovered and sent to Barh Subdivisional Hospital for post-mortem.
Two girls remain missing; an SDRF team is conducting an active search operation.
The missing include Babli Kumari (6) , the youngest, and Aarti Kumari (21) , the eldest among the four who went missing.
Villagers briefly blocked the road for 20 minutes to protest a reported delay in deploying the search team.
Two girls have died and two others remain missing after seven cousins were swept away by the strong current of the Ganga River at Ranisarai Ganga Ghat in Patna's Bakhtiyarpur block on Monday, 17 August. Three of the seven were pulled to safety by locals, but the search for the remaining two is ongoing, with an SDRF team deployed at the site.
How the Incident Unfolded
The girls, all cousins from the same family, had gone to the ghat to bathe at approximately 7:30 am. According to local residents, one of them waded into deeper water and began to struggle. When the others moved in to help, they too were caught in the powerful current.
Bystanders at the ghat immediately entered the river and managed to bring three girls to safety. The remaining four were swept further into the river and could not be located initially.
The Missing and the Recovered
The four girls reported missing have been identified as Aarti Kumari (21) and Nandani Kumari (16), daughters of Awadhesh Chandravanshi; Radhika Kumari (15), daughter of Kamlesh Chandravanshi; and Babli Kumari (6), daughter of Mantu Chandravanshi. During the search operation, two bodies were recovered. The bodies have been sent to Barh Subdivisional Hospital for post-mortem examination. Search efforts for the remaining two girls are continuing.
SDRF Deployment and Search Operation
Police and administrative officials reached the ghat after being informed of the incident. An SDRF team was subsequently deployed to conduct a search across different sections of the river. The strong current and depth of the Ganga are reportedly hampering rescue efforts, with personnel combing multiple stretches of the river.
Villagers Protest Delay, Block Road
As news spread, family members and villagers gathered at the ghat. Frustrated over a reported delay in launching the search, villagers briefly blocked the road for around 20 minutes, disrupting traffic. The blockade was lifted after the rescue operation commenced. A large number of relatives remain at the riverbank, awaiting updates.
Community in Shock
The incident — involving several children and young women from a single family — has left the surrounding area deeply shaken. With two girls still unaccounted for, the SDRF search is expected to continue as authorities work against the river's difficult conditions.
Point of View
No safety barriers, and no warning systems. The reported 20-minute delay in SDRF deployment, and the villagers' road blockade that followed, points to a breakdown in emergency response protocols that local administrations have been slow to fix. With the youngest victim just six years old, the incident raises pointed questions about ghat safety infrastructure that cannot be answered by a post-mortem alone.
NationPress
17 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at Ranisarai Ganga Ghat in Patna's Bakhtiyarpur?
Seven girls from the same family were swept away by the strong current of the Ganga River while bathing at Ranisarai Ganga Ghat in Bakhtiyarpur, Patna, on 17 August at around 7:30 am. Three were rescued by locals, two bodies have been recovered, and two girls remain missing.
Who are the girls reported missing or dead?
The four girls who went missing were identified as Aarti Kumari (21) and Nandani Kumari (16), daughters of Awadhesh Chandravanshi; Radhika Kumari (15), daughter of Kamlesh Chandravanshi; and Babli Kumari (6), daughter of Mantu Chandravanshi. Two bodies have since been recovered.
Is a search operation underway for the missing girls?
Yes, an SDRF team has been deployed and is searching different sections of the Ganga River. The strong current and depth of the river are reportedly making the operation difficult, and the search is continuing.
Why did villagers block the road near the ghat?
Villagers blocked the road for approximately 20 minutes to protest a reported delay in deploying the SDRF search team after the incident. The blockade was lifted once the rescue operation began.
Where have the recovered bodies been sent?
The two bodies recovered during the search operation have been sent to Barh Subdivisional Hospital for post-mortem examination.
