Rajasthan tragedy: Eight friends drown while bathing in Banas River in Tonk, three rescued

In a tragic incident, eight youths were killed after drowning in the Banas River in Rajasthan's Tonk district on Tuesday. The group had reportedly gone to the river for a swim, but the joyful outing turned into a devastating tragedy. Initial reports suggest that the deceased hailed from different parts of Tonk and Jaipur districts. They had allegedly gone for a picnic and decided to take a dip in the river when the incident occurred. 

According to information, a group of 11 young men, aged between 25 and 30, entered the river to bathe but ended up in deeper waters. Despite efforts to save them, eight were pulled out unconscious and rushed to the hospital in ambulances, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.

Eyewitnesses and officials said that local residents, with the help of the administration, managed to recover all the bodies after hours of search operations. The atmosphere turned grim as the news spread, and a large crowd gathered outside the district hospital, where the bodies were taken for postmortem.

What did Tonk SP say? 

Tonk Superintendent of Police Vikas Sangwan confirmed that the remaining three members of the group were rescued and are currently in stable condition. He said it remains unclear how the victims suddenly slipped into the deep stretch of the river. "The group had travelled from Jaipur to Tonk to enjoy a picnic outing," he added.

Similar incident in Jaipur last month

This heartbreaking accident brings back memories of a similar tragedy just last month in Jaipur, where four children, including three girls, drowned in a pond. The incident occurred in the village of Kakadiyan Ki Dhani in Dudu area. A group of goat herders had stopped near a pond, and while bathing, 18-year-old Kamlesh Devi slipped into the water.

As she began to drown, three others -- 20-year-old Vinod Kumar, Rameshwari, and 18-year-old Hema Bawariya -- jumped in to rescue her, but all four tragically drowned. Locals and families were alerted, and a three-hour rescue effort led to the recovery of all four bodies. Police said all the victims belonged to the same village.