Eight drown in Bihar

Eight persons, including six minors, drowned in two separate incidents in Bihar's Begusarai district on Sunday.

Four persons, including three of a family, drowned in a 'chaur' (a barren land filled with water) where they had gone to collect snails, District Magistrate Arvind Kumar Verma said.

The incident occurred in Harakhpura Chaur under Gahdpura police station limits.

The deceased have been identified as 25-year-old Soni Devi, 13-year-old Sulekha Kumari and 14-year-old Sumit Kumar of the same family, Verma said, adding that the other deceased is 12-year-old Khushbu Kumari.

In another incident, four persons, including three minors, drowned in Balan river under Bhagwanpur police station limits.

The deceased are 10-year-old Hena Parween and 13- year-old Gudiya Khatun of Mojahidpur village, 14-year-old Lucky Kumar of Manopur village and 25-year-old Santosh Mallik of Damodarpur village, he said.

All the bodies have been fished out, Verma added.