A 24-year-old youth drowned in a river near the Kaliprasad bridge in Pirpainti block, Bhagalpur, on Saturday. His body was recovered after a five-and-a-half-hour search operation conducted by local divers. The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Shahnawaz, son of Mohammad Shahin, a resident of Bakia Diyara. His family is in deep shock and grief following the tragic incident.

According to information, Shahnawaz had come to Kaliprasad village with his friend Mohammad Zafar for bank KYC. On their way back home, Shahnawaz expressed a desire to bathe in the river and entered the water. He soon went into deeper waters and began to drown. His friend Zafar attempted to rescue him but was unsuccessful. As news of the incident spread, thousands of villagers gathered near the Kaliprasad bridge. A search operation was launched with the help of three boats, and local divers eventually recovered the body after approximately five and a half hours.

Upon receiving the information, Circle Officer Chandrashekhar Kumar, Pirpainti Police Station Sub-Inspector Amod Thakur, Sangam Kumari, and Rahul Kumar, along with several other police personnel, reached the spot. This tragic accident has sparked anger among villagers regarding the dilapidated condition of the Kaliprasad bridge. Ward member Mohammad Kabil stated that the incident occurred around 1 PM, but the SDRF team did not arrive for several hours, and the body was recovered with the help of local divers. He also mentioned that the bridge has been in a poor state for about four years and is continuously sinking. Villagers have demanded that the administration and public representatives immediately inspect the bridge and undertake its repair or construct a new one to prevent future accidents.