A 17-year-old girl drowned in the Gadadhar River at Mela Ghat in Assam’s Dhubri town on Friday morning, July 24.
The deceased was identified as Aksara Gowala, a Higher Secondary first-year student of Sishupathsala Higher Secondary School and daughter of local businessman Ramchandra Gowala.
According to family members, the incident occurred at around 10 am when Aksara had gone near the river, which flows beside their residence in Ward No. 1. She reportedly slipped and fell into the water.
On being informed, handcart pullers employed by her father rushed to the spot and entered the river in an attempt to rescue her.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) later joined the search operation. Despite sustained efforts by local residents and rescue personnel, Aksara could not be saved. Her body was recovered from the river at around 11.20 am.
The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the locality, with family members, friends and residents mourning her death. Police have initiated the necessary legal formalities following the recovery of the body.
