One Person Rescued, Hunt On For Others

AGRA: Three men died and five went missing after being swept away by strong currents during Durga idol immersion at an undesignated spot on the bank of Utangan river in Agra’s Dungarwala village on Thursday. One person was rescued, and a search is underway with SDRF teams deployed.Gagan Singh, 28, and Ompal Chand, 32, were found dead by rescue teams. The third victim is yet to be identified. The incident occurred when nine men entered the river to immerse two idols. As they moved into deeper water, they were pulled under by the current. Relatives waiting on the bank raised the alarm.Madan Singh, in charge of Kheragarh police station, and his team reached the site and jumped into the river. They managed to save one of the men and later recovered the three bodies. Agra DM Aravind Mallapa Bangari said, “We had designated specific locations for idol immersion. The group initially went to one of these sites but was stopped from entering the river. However, they entered the river at a non-designated spot. They had two idols. While immersing the second idol, they entered deeper waters & were swept away.”