2 boys washed away

Two boys engaged in picking

up coins from the Hooghly river bed were washed away in Uluberia area of Howrah district today, the police said.

The incident occurred when a steamer went past the ghat of Haat Kaliganj, bringing a sudden surge of water to the spot where the boys were picking up the coins.

Devotees threw coins in the river as part of a religious ritual and many boys picked them up using a magnet attached to a string.

However, these two boys were not found when water subsided.

Following a search, the body of 9-year-old Rik Samanta was found first and then that of Sheikh Azad (5) was found at a distance.
 

The bodies were handed over to their family after postmortem.