KANPUR/PRAYAGRAJ/VARANASI, Aug. 18 -- 17 people, eight of them Kanwariyas, were caught in separate tragedies in Uttar Pradesh over Sunday night and Monday, with four devotees killed in road accidents and 13 others feared drowned in incidents in Kanpur, Farrukhabad, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Maharajganj and Ghazipur. Most drownings occurred as large numbers of devotees gathered at Ganga ghats to collect holy water for the Kanwar pilgrimage. In Farrukhabad, four Kanwariyas from the same village, including three members of one family, went missing after entering the Ganga at Panchal Ghat early Monday morning. Yogesh, 17, his uncle Vikas, 25, cousin Kamal, 23, and fellow villager Arjun, 17, all residents of Nayagaon Khudaganj in Shahjahanpur district, had travelled to the ghat with six others on five motorcycles. While the rest of the group stayed near the motorcycles, the four entered the river to bathe before collecting Ganga water. Their companions and police personnel at the ghat warned them against venturing further into the river, but they moved into deeper water and were swept away by the strong current. Local divers, police personnel and an SDRF team were deployed for the search. The operation continued through the day, but strong currents hampered rescue efforts. Farrukhabad superintendent of police Aarti Singh said devotees were being prevented from entering deeper stretches of the river and that districts downstream had been alerted.A few hours later, two cousins, Satish Sonkar, 18, and Ashiq Sonkar, 16, disappeared while bathing at Gudara Ganga Ghat in Bithoor, Kanpur. The two, residents of Chakerpur Mandi, had arrived with their families. Police said they crossed a rope marking the safer bathing area and were caught in the current. A relative recording a video raised the alarm after noticing that the two were no longer visible. Water police, Bithoor police and local divers began the search, with the SDRF subsequently joining the operation. The cousins had not been traced at the time of filing the report. At least five children drowned in separate incidents in Gorakhpur and Deoria on Monday, while two teenagers lost their lives after slipping into deep waters while bathing in the Rohin River in Maharajganj. In Gorakhpur, tragedy struck Badoli Babu village in Bansgaon tehsil around 10 a.m. on Monday when three children who had gone to a pond for an outing and to perform the traditional soot pitai ritual associated with Nag Panchami drowned. The pond was located barely 100 metres from their homes. According to officials, the children slipped into deep water and drowned. Family members and local residents rushed to the spot after learning about the incident, and the bodies were later recovered.Taking cognisance of the tragedy, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved families and directed senior officials to reach the spot immediately and intensify relief and rescue operations. He also instructed the district administration to meet the affected families and provide them with all possible assistance. In Deoria on Sunday evening, two children drowned in a water-filled pit in Belapur Mathiya village under the jurisdiction of Khukhundu police station. The pit had reportedly been dug around six months ago for the construction of a house and subsequently filled with rainwater.In Maharajganj, two teenagers drowned while bathing in the Rohini on Sunday evening. Their bodies were recovered later near Gate No. 3 of the barrage. Two men in their 20s drowned while bathing in the Ganga river in Ghazipur on Monday morning, while a 15-year-old boy was rescued by locals, police said. The incident took place at Gayatrinagar Ghat in Gauspur under the Mohammadabad Kotwali area, they said. The deceased were identified as Arun Pandey (25) and Gulshan Kushwaha (24), both residents of Mohammadabad town, police said. In a separate incident in Prayagraj, three Kanwariyas were killed in a road accident on the Prayagraj-Varanasi highway late Sunday night while travelling to Varanasi for Jalabhishek at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Shiv Prakash, 20, Ashok Kumar, 32, and Lallu, 45, all residents of Prayagraj, were riding on a motorcycle after collecting Ganga water from the Sangam when their motorcycle was allegedly hit head-on by a commercial vehicle near Sarpatipur village. The vehicle reportedly ran over the three before its driver fled. Ashok and Shiv Prakash were declared dead on arrival at SRN Hospital, while Lallu succumbed to his injuries during treatment. Police are examining CCTV footage and have formed teams to trace the driver. One Kanwariya was killed and three were injured when a speedy car hit them on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway bypass under the Chaubepur police station area of Varanasi on Monday, police said. The pilgrims were on their way to offer holy water at the Markandeya Mahadev Temple on the third Monday. The incident occurred when they stopped alongside the Varanasi-Ghazipur road, police said. (With agency inputs)...