One child drowns, 4 missing in Jharkhand

One child drowned and four others were missing after they were swept away while taking bath in Mahane river near a temple in Chatra district today, police said.

Divers found the body of one child while efforts were on to trace the four children who had come from Chauraparan in neighbouring Hazaribag district.

A group of devotees that included seven children have come to Itkhori to offer puja in the Bhadrakali temple today, the last Monday of the holy month of Shravan, Deputy Superintendent of Police (HQ) Pitambar Singh Khairwar said.

All the group members including the seven children have gone to the river to take bath and the children went deep into the water when five of them swept away and two were rescued, Khairwar said.

The body of one child was found while search was on to trace the four others.

Local fishermen and divers initially started the search operation and they were later joined by divers of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Khairwar said.