Live-streaming car ride ends in tragedy as 3 die

Patna/Madhepura: What began as a joyful outing ended in tragedy for four young friends in Madhepura district late Friday night. Returning from the Dinabhadhri fair in Gwalpara, the group was live-streaming on Facebook when their speeding car lost control, hit a roadside shop and an electric pole, and plunged off the 20-foot-high Arar Ghat bridge into the Sursar river. Three of them drowned in the river and one went missing.

The friends had left Madhepura on Friday evening to attend the fair. Around midnight, they went live on social media for nearly three minutes, dancing inside the moving car to loud Bhojpuri songs. The video showed the speedometer repeatedly touching 140 kmph as the youths laughed, shouted and called themselves “Rangbaaz”.

Barely an hour after the live session, the accident occurred on National Highway 106 (Madhepura-Udakishunganj) near a ghat under the Arar police station area. After receiving information around 2am on Saturday, police reached the spot and launched a rescue operation. The damaged car had shattered windows and deployed airbags. Two bodies were found inside the vehicle while the third was recovered nearby in the morning.

Udakishunganj sub-divisional police officer Avinash Kumar told TOI that of the four people in the car, the bodies of three have been recovered and the search for the fourth person is continuing. He said a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team had been deployed for the search operation, but the body had not been found till Saturday night.

“The victims went to attend a fair at Gwalpara and were returning when the accident took place. Prima facie, it appears that the SUV was racing at over 120 kmph when the driver, caught up in the excitement and loud music, lost control. The police have also seen the live stream video of the youths, which they made before the accident. The vehicle first hit a paan stall and an electric pole before crashing through the bridge railing and tumbling into the river below,” the SDPO said, adding that the SHO has been instructed to check the sequence of the incident.

The victims were identified as Ghanshyam Kumar (28) from Jaipalpatti in Madhepura district, Ankit Kumar (26) from Mokma in Saharsa district and Basant Kumar (23) from Forsahi in Saharsa district. Police sent their bodies to the sadar hospital for post-mortem and impounded the wrecked vehicle.

Sagar Kumar (22) from Jaipalpatti in the sadar police station area remained missing with rescue teams continuing the search in the river.