Three children drown while collecting shells in Cooch Behar’s Dharla River

Three children drowned in the Dharla River at Jorpati Hasan Ghat in Mathabhanga, Cooch Behar, on December 17, while collecting shells. The victims were a girl and two boys, who had entered the river without any adult supervision. The children slipped and fell into the water, and when one of them struggled, the others attempted to rescue them. However, all three were swept away by the strong current.

Local residents rushed to the scene and pulled the children out of the water. Despite their efforts, two of the children were found unresponsive. The third child was taken to the Mathabhanga sub-divisional hospital by locals, but doctors declared them dead upon arrival. The bodies of the two deceased children were recovered from the riverbank by the police.

The local police have initiated an investigation into the incident to understand the exact circumstances and prevent such accidents in the future. The families of the victims have received the bodies after post-mortem examinations. This tragic event has raised concerns about water safety, especially in areas where children are involved in recreational activities near rivers and other water bodies.