Four minors drown in Rapti river while filming videos in Gorakhpur, safety concerns raised

A tragic incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur has brought attention to safety lapses at public water bodies after four minor boys drowned in the Rapti River while reportedly attempting to film videos, officials said on Friday.

The incident occurred on Wednesday near Mirzapur ghat in the Khorabar area, where a group of nine boys had gone on bicycles. According to police, five of them entered the river near a pontoon bridge to bathe and record videos. In the process, they ventured into deeper waters and began to struggle. One of the boys, identified as Rajkaran, managed to swim to safety and alerted locals, but the remaining four were swept away.

Rescue teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed, and a search operation continued for two days. The body of Vivek Nishad (15) was recovered on Thursday evening, while the remaining victims Aman alias Biru Rajbhar (15), Gagan Paswan (15), and Aniket Yadav (13) were found floating in the river on Friday morning with the help of divers. Personal belongings, including bicycles, clothes and a mobile phone, were recovered from the site. All bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination.

The incident has raised concerns about safety at rivers and other public water bodies, particularly regarding unsupervised access by minors and the risks associated with attempting to film videos near hazardous locations. Officials noted that rivers often have unpredictable depths, strong currents and slippery surfaces, making them dangerous, especially for those unfamiliar with the terrain. They stressed the need for greater public awareness, improved warning systems at vulnerable spots such as ghats and bridges, and closer supervision of children to prevent similar tragedies.