3 youths from Basti swept away in Saryu River during Ayodhya visit

Three youths from Uttar Pradeshs Basti district were swept away in the Saryu River while taking a bath during a visit to Ayodhya on Thursday morning, police said. Station House Officer of Purani Basti police station, Jaydeep Dubey, said Thursday also happened to be Abhishek Sonis birthday.

Three youths from Uttar Pradesh's Basti district were swept away in the Saryu River while taking a bath during a visit to Ayodhya on Thursday morning, police said. According to officials, five friends had travelled from Basti to Ayodhya. The incident occurred around 6:55 am when three of them ventured into deep water while bathing and were carried away by the river's strong current. The missing youths were identified as Abhishek Soni, 19, Amit, 18, and Raj, 18, residents of Purani Basti. The two surviving friends -- Lucky, 18, who lives in Rasool Nagar in Purani Basti, and Kishan Soni, 19, a resident of Khalilabad Kotwali area of Sant Kabir Nagar district, alerted police after witnessing the incident. Police teams and divers rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. However, till the latest reports, the three youths remained untraced. Station House Officer of Purani Basti police station, Jaydeep Dubey, said Thursday also happened to be Abhishek Soni's birthday. ''His family had been preparing to celebrate the occasion when news of the tragedy reached home, plunging the household into grief,'' he said.