5 of family drown in river in Bihar's Purnea

Purnea, Aug 23 (PTI) Five members of a family drowned in a river in Bihar's Purnea district, officials said on Saturday.

A nine-year-old girl slipped into the Kari Kosi river in the Kasba block on Friday evening and was swept away by the strong currents. When her aunt spotted her, she also jumped into the river to save her, they said.

One by one, three other family members jumped in to rescue them, but they also drowned.

The deceased were identified as Sulochana Devi (30), Gauri Kumari (9), Shekhar Kumar (21), Karan Kumar (21), and Sachin Kumar (18).

"The bodies were recovered with the help of locals. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examinations," District Magistrate Anshul Kumar said.

State minister Lesi Singh met relatives of the deceased on Saturday. PTI CORR PKD SOM