MATHURA: Three cousins on way to attend a relative's engagement ceremony were killed after their motorcycle fell into a drain here, police said on Monday.
The incident occurred near the Govardhan drain in the Radhakund late Sunday night when the speeding motorcycle went out of control and plunged into the drain. All three men, who were in their 20s, drowned, police said.
Their bodies were later retrieved and sent for postmortem examination, officials added.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed deep grief over the incident and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.
He directed district officials to rush to the spot, expedite relief efforts and ensure proper treatment for the injured, an official statement said.
Govardhan station house officer Ravi Tyagi said the victims Kanhaiya, Ankush and Praveen were cousins and residents of Masoom Nagar in Mathura city. They were on their way to Radhakund to attend the engagement ceremony of a relative when the accident took place around 8 pm.
Local residents attempted to rescue the youths but failed due to the depth of the drain, he said.
Police later reached the spot and, with the help of divers, recovered the bodies. The motorcycle was also pulled out using a JCB machine.
"The three youths were taken to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead," the SHO said.
The incident cast a pall of gloom over the household where the engagement ceremony was to be held, police said.