Two men go missing while bathing in Damodar River during Kartik Purnima

Bokaro/Dhanbad: Five youths from Dhanbad district who went to take a holy dip in the Damodar River on the occasion of Kartik Purnima accidentally drifted into deep waters near the Telmacho bridge.

Of the five, three could be rescued. Deputy commissioner of Bokaro, Ajay Nath Jha, said, “The rescue team later recovered the body of one youth from the river, but it is not clear if he was part of the group of five.”The missing boys have been identified as Sumit Rai (18) and Sunny Chauhan (21), both residents of Bhimkanali (Baghmara) in Dhanbad district. Jha extended condolences to the bereaved family and assured full administrative support.“This is an extremely unfortunate incident. The administration stands firmly with the affected families, and efforts are on to trace the missing youth,” said Jha. The district administration has urged residents to exercise caution while bathing in rivers or ponds and to ensure that children do not go near water bodies unsupervised. Authorities stressed that awareness and alertness are essential to prevent such tragic mishaps in the future.Baghmara SDPO Purushottam Singh said that the search for the missing youths is ongoing, and additional diving teams have been requested from Munidih. The NDRF team has also been alerted to assist in the rescue efforts.