Tragedy struck on the occasion of Maha Shivratri as five youths drowned in the Ganges river at Collectorate Ghat under Gandhi Maidan police station here on Wednesday evening. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has so far recovered three bodies, while the search for the remaining two is ongoing.

Six youths from Krishna Niwas Lodge -- Vishal Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Rajiv Kumar, Golu Kumar and Ashish Kumar -- were playing volleyball on the bank of the river. Three others, including Rehan and Govinda, who was bathing nearby, joined their game.