Gorakhpur, April 18 -- Tragedy struck Bariyarpur village under Chiluwatal police station limits on Friday afternoon when three youths, all close friends, drowned in the River Rapti near an under-construction bridge at Bajarhan village while bathing in the river. Officials said four friends from the same village had gone to the riverbank for a bath. During bathing, they moved into deeper water and began to drown. One of them managed to swim back to the shore and alerted nearby residents, who informed the authorities. Rescue teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police and trained divers rushed to the spot and started a search operation. Boats and divers were deployed to scan the river stretch to trace the missing youths. District disaster management officer Gautam Gupta said poor light conditions affected the rescue work. "Teams are actively engaged, and divers are searching the area where the youths were last seen. Efforts will continue until they are traced," he said. Eyewitnesses said the youths had been sitting and chatting on the riverbank before entering the water to swim. They were reportedly caught in a deep channel. Superintendent of police (North) Gyanendra Kumar said the incident took place around 2.40 pm. The deceased were identified as Shubham Yadav, 19, Ajay alias Banti, 18, and Shiv Sahni, 20. He said the youths slipped into a deep section of the river, leading to the tragedy. The incident caused panic among their companions and grief among family members. A large number of local residents gathered at the riverbank, while police personnel monitored the situation as rescue operations continued....