Two pilgrims have died while taking a dip in the sacred pilgrimage site of Gosaikunda.
Rasuwa, 28 Jul: According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Hem Bahadur Shahi of the District Police Office, Rasuwa, the incident occurred on Sunday, the 11th of Saun (Nepali calendar), when Manoj Neupane, 28, of Belbari Municipality-4 in Morang, and Suraj Dhakal, 26, of Biratnagar Metropolitan City-3, drowned while bathing in Gosaikunda around 4 PM.
DSP Shahi stated that the pilgrims likely drowned because they entered the deep part of the lake, which becomes even more dangerous during the monsoon due to increased water flow. As soon as it was reported that people had gone missing in the lake, a rescue team from the Nepal Army was deployed to the site on Sunday evening.
The rescue operation began on Monday morning, the 12th of Saun. Despite heavy rainfall making recovery efforts difficult, both bodies were retrieved from the lake by 10 AM. The rescue operation involved the Nepal Army (Shreenath Battalion), Nepal Police, and the Armed Police Force (APF) Unit No. 20. The bodies will be handed over to the families after post-mortem examinations, according to police.
Assistant Chief District Officer of Rasuwa and spokesperson for the local administration, Dhruva Prasad Adhikari, informed that during the Gosaikunda fair and Janai Purnima festival, when there is a large influx of pilgrims, everyone is advised not to dive alone or play in the water, and instead hold hands while bathing for safety.
Sanjiv D.M., Chairman of the Gosaikunda Area Development Committee, stated that from the 13th to the 24th of Saun, during the Janai Purnima festival, proper health and safety arrangements have been made for pilgrims traveling from the confluence point of Rasuwa and Nuwakot—Uttargaya Dham Betrawati—up to Gosaikunda.
The two deceased were brothers
The two individuals who went missing while bathing at the pilgrimage site of Gosaikunda in Rasuwa were brothers, and they were later found deceased. They had traveled to Gosaikunda from Kathmandu with friends on the 10th of Saun (Nepali calendar). Both went missing on Sunday while bathing in the lake.
“One of the brothers slipped while bathing, and the other went in to rescue him — that’s how the incident happened,” said their elder brother, Bibek.
