B’day celebration turns tragic: 4 relatives drown in Yamuna

Agra: A festive family gathering ended in tragedy on Tuesday afternoon when four relatives, including two minors, drowned in the Yamuna river at Agra’s Balkeshwar Ghat. The group had traveled to the city to attend a birthday party and had gone to the river for a swim.The incident occurred around 12:30 pm under the jurisdiction of Kamla Nagar police station. According to witnesses, six youths entered the water, initially staying in the shallow, knee-deep areas. “They suddenly started moving farther into the river, unaware that the current was pulling them in. Before we could react, they had disappeared,” said Gagan Kumar, a local witness.Local divers and police teams launched a two-hour search operation immediately after being alerted by residents. While rescuers managed to pull Kajal (17) and Anshu (20) to safety, the others were not as fortunate.The deceased have been identified as Kanha Singh (22) and Mahak Kumari (19) of Hathras, Riya (17) of Mathura and Vicky Singh (13) of Agra.Medical professionals declared three of the victims dead on arrival at the hospital, while the fourth succumbed during treatment. Notably, Mahak (deceased) and Anshu (survivor) were siblings.The relatives had gathered in Agra for the birthday of Vicky’s cousin on Monday night. Vicky’s father, Rakesh, was seen inconsolable. “We were all here for a celebration... Now this has happened. We are in total shock,” he said.DCP (City) Syed Ali Abbas said no formal statement regarding safety measures at the ghat has been released following the incident.