Two Ghaziabad friends, Brijesh Kumar Tripathi and Sachin Tyagi, drowned in the Ganga River in Haridwar while bathing (Representative image)

HARIDWAR: Two friends, including a techie from Ghaziabad, drowned in the Ganga Sunday morning while bathing at Dudhiya Band in the Haridwar city police station area.Brijesh Kumar Tripathi (42) and Sachin Tyagi (35), residents of Ghaziabad, had come to Haridwar with their families on a pilgrimage tour.SHO Kundan Singh Rana said, “Tripathi slipped while bathing and was swept away by the strong current. Tyagi jumped into the river to save him, but also drowned.”Rescue teams, including police divers and the SDRF, were deployed immediately and recovered both bodies within a few hours. Tyagi ran a garment business in Ghaziabad. Police said most drowning incidents in Haridwar are reported from the Saptrishi area, where warning boards have been installed as the riverbanks are unsafe for bathing. However, despite repeated warnings, pilgrims often venture into deeper waters.In a separate incident, SDRF divers recovered two bodies from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh on Sunday. One of the deceased was identified as Ayush (26), a resident of Bihar, who had drowned while taking a selfie a few days ago. The second body was identified as Anil Bahuguna, a resident of Rishikesh, who had drowned earlier.