Durga immersion turns tragic as 13 drown in Agra

AGRA: What began asa festive Dussehra celebration in Agra’s Kheragarh on Thursday turned into a day of mourning when 13 youths and teenagers from Kusiyapur Dungarwala village were swept away in the Utangan river during a Durga idol immersion.

- BISWAJEET BANERJEE

Four bodies have been recovered so far, while nine remain missing despite an overnight search operation. Rescue teams from the SDRE NDRE, and police are continuing the search, with the Army also called in for assistance.

‘The incident occurred when nearly 40 to 50 villagers, including men, women, and children, gathered at the riverbank to immerse a four-foot idol of Goddess Durga installed at the Chamard Mata temple during Navratri. While the women remained on the banks, about a dozen young men carried the idol into the river. According to eyewitnesses, they were holding hands to support each other when they suddenly slipped into a deep pit hidden beneath the surface.