Chhath Puja in Jharkhand turns tragic as multiple drownings involving kids reported in ponds, Son River

Two identical heartbreaking incidents were reported from Simdega and Hazaribagh districts of Jharkhand amidst Chhath Puja festivities, where five young girls drowned in ponds on Sunday evening while bathing. In a third incident in Palamu district's Pokhrahai village, three youths drowned in the Son River. They were part of a bigger group to bathe, and the three victims got swept away. Sunday was the second day of the Chhath festivities.

It was the tragedy from Simdega that was reported first by local media. The children were identified by local media as Khushbu Kumari (6), Pramika Kumari (5), and Seema Kumari (7). The three friends visited the pond while their elders were away. They only noticed the kids were missing many hours later, and a search party found a dead body floating in the p