Bihar: Five die as earth caves in while making earthen ovens for ‘Chhath’ festival

Five people died when the earth caved in Bihar’s Samastipur district on Friday while they were digging it to make earthen ovens for the ‘Chhath’ festival.

The incident happened in the morning at Nazirpur village -- 80 km east of Patna. Local villagers said eleven people were digging the soil to make earthen ovens for preparing prasad during the four-day ‘Chhath’ festival that begins on Sunday.

Five people, including two women and a minor, died on the spot and six were injured after a mound of earth fell on them, District Magistrate (DM) Chandrashekhar Prasad Singh told PTI.

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The deceased have been identified as Amit Kumar (15), Runa Devi (30), Ram Kumari Devi (35), Lal Paswan (43) and Shivji Singh (50), the district magistrate said.

The injured have been admitted to a hospital, the official said, adding that the kin of the deceased would be provided financial assistance.