Family Washed Away By River While Taking Selfies On Christmas Day

Several people in India were washed away in the Tamil Nadu side of the Palar River on Christmas Day when they tried to take selfies in the body of water.

The three were identified as Leonsingh Raja, 38, his daughter, Percy, 16 and his nephew, Livingston, 19, The Times of India reported.

They were part of a 20-member group from Tirusulam, Chennai, on their way home from a church visit on Saturday.

People were reportedly banned from venturing near the Palar River as the water flow was heavy, but some members of the group went to the river on their way home to take selfies.

Raja's family was among the people who went to the river and were washed away, according to police.

Raja, a grocery store owner, lost his balance after he tried to rescue his children. Other family members, meanwhile, attempted to wade the river as well, but they were unable to trace him, Percy and Livingston.

Fire and rescue personnel were alerted about the incident, but they failed to locate the three.

Rescue workers continued the search for the trio Sunday, which also yielded no results.

Police in Chengalpet have registered a drowning case and are investigating the incident.

A similar incident happened to a family in the state of Uttar Pradesh last July when nine members were swept away by strong river currents during a religious pilgrimage.

Ashok Goyal, 65, went to the steps of Saryu River in Ayodhya on July 8 with 14 family members, which included his wife, four daughters, two sons, six grandchildren and one of his sons-in-law.

A total of nine members from the group were swallowed by the river after they were swept away by strong currents.

The incident resulted in the deaths of Goyal's 61-year-old wife, Raj Kumari, his two daughters, 42-year-old Julie and 35-year-old Sita, his two sons, Lalit and 25-year-old Pankaj and his three granddaughters, 20-year-old Shruti, 16-year-old Priyanshi and 4-year-old Drashti.

It was unclear if the ninth person to go missing — Goyal's 16-year-old grandson, Sarthak — was ever found.

Julie was cremated in Ayodhya on July 11 due to the condition of her body, while the remaining members except for Drashti were cremated back in the family's hometown of Agra.

Drashti was buried at a cremation ground per tradition that children should not be consigned to flames.

A relative said that the family's religious pilgrimage turned into a tragedy.

"They had gone to pray for the wellbeing of their family before the pooja ceremony of the new house of Goyal's son, Pankaj. But this tragedy struck," the relative was quoted as saying.