A tragic incident in Purnia, Bihar, resulted in the drowning deaths of five people due to a contractor’s negligence. The event occurred in the Subhash Nagar area of Ward 24, Kasba police station. A dam construction project, funded by the Irrigation Department, was underway from Madrasa Chowk to Mahavir Chowk along a tributary of the Kosi River. To obtain soil for the dam’s construction, the contractor excavated soil from a nearby field, creating a large pit.
According to reports, a young girl named Gauri Kumari went to the area for sanitation, slipped, and fell into the pit. Her mother, Sulochana Devi, attempted to rescue her but also began to drown. Several other individuals, witnessing the situation, jumped into the water to help. While four managed to escape, three others drowned. Tragically, both the mother and daughter who initially fell into the pit also perished.
The deceased have been identified as 9-year-old Gauri Kumari, 32-year-old Sulochana Devi, 18-year-old Sachin Kumar, 19-year-old Shekhar Kumar, and 20-year-old Karan Kumar. The news of the incident caused widespread grief in Kasba. Divers were deployed to recover the bodies, which were subsequently taken to Purnia Medical College. District Magistrate Anshul Kumar visited the medical college and, after gathering information from the families, dispatched a team to the scene.
Local resident Durgesh Kumar stated that the contractor had been excavating soil day and night, creating a pit approximately 25 to 30 feet deep. Heavy rainfall filled the pit with water, and the depth was underestimated. Durgesh Kumar held the contractor solely responsible for the tragedy.
Congress MLA Afaq Alam, upon arriving at the site, strongly criticized the government, calling the incident a case of murder. He claimed to have previously written to the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department and the relevant minister, raising concerns about the improper execution of the work. He pointed out that the work was carried out without adhering to standards, resulting in the loss of five lives. No boards or estimated costs were displayed. Instead of bringing soil to the dam, soil was being excavated from the adjacent area to build the dam.
District Magistrate Anshul Kumar assured that post-mortem examinations would be conducted overnight and that the government would provide assistance for the last rites, along with disaster relief funds. He also mentioned that a team of engineers would investigate the incident and that action would be taken against those found responsible based on their report.
