PATNA: Nine people including three women died and three others were rescued when a jeep carrying them fell into the river Ganga from a pontoon bridge in Danapur diara area of Patna on Friday.
The deceased were returning after attending a wedding function and were residents of Bhojpur and Saran districts.
Upon being informed, the Patna district administration engaged trained divers of the SDRF to fish out the bodies. According to official sources, nine bodies including that of a 12-year-old minor and 75-year-old woman were recovered by the SDRF and the NDRF teams.
The Patliputra MP Ram Kripal Yadav of the BJP reached the site after being informed about the tragedy. Officials said the driver of the jeep lost control of the vehicle.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of all the deceased. Meanwhile, the state government ordered an inquiry into the accident by a three-member team of the district administration.