Patna, Nov 4 — Three minor girls, including two sisters, were killed after a large mound of earth collapsed on them in Sultanganj village under Dighalbank Panchayat in Bihar's Kishanganj district on Wednesday.
The tragic incident plunged the village into mourning, with families devastated by the sudden loss of the three children.
According to local villagers, the victims were identified as Nagma Parveen (10), her younger sister Nisha Parveen (9), and their neighbour Ruby Khatoon (8), daughter of Fariyad Alam.
The three girls had gone to an area near the village to collect soil for plastering their houses.
While digging at the base of an earthen mound, a large portion of it suddenly collapsed, burying all three beneath the debris.
The girls were unable to escape as the heavy mass of earth fell on them.
Hearing about the accident, villagers rushed to the spot with shovels and pickaxes and launched a rescue operation.
They frantically removed the soil to pull the children out and rushed them towards a nearby medical facility.
However, all three had already died due to suffocation beneath the debris.
The deaths of the two sisters and their young neighbour have left the families inconsolable.
The tragedy has cast a pall of gloom over the entire village, where residents gathered to mourn the children.
The grieving families have refused to pursue legal proceedings or allow post-mortem examinations of the bodies, overwhelmed by the sudden tragedy.
Following information about the incident, a police team and local administrative officials reached the village to assess the situation.
Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Aniket Kumar said administrative personnel were immediately dispatched to the spot after receiving information about the incident.
He said officials were interacting with the bereaved families to assess the circumstances and that further action would be taken in accordance with government regulations.
The incident has once again highlighted the dangers associated with digging soil from unstable earthen mounds, particularly when children are involved.