Four boys aged between 12 and 18 years drowned in the river Ganga around the Patna City area on Sunday, while the locals rescued one boy when they had gathered on the banks to take a dip.

Police said Rahul, Gaurav, Vijay, Rohit, and Munna had gone to take a bath in the Ganga when they slipped into the deep water. The locals managed to save Munna.

Three of the deceased were residents of Tunki Kucha in Patna City area while the fourth boy lived in Patna's Postal Park area. The relatives of the victims were waiting at the ghat as efforts were under way to fish out the four bodies. The relatives grew restive as the search-and-rescue operation was delayed, and police officers on the spot had to face their ire.

"Had the administration made adequate arrangements, the mishap would have been averted," said Satyendra Dubey, resident of Danka Imali in Patna City and Vijay's relative.

Vijay with his friends Rahul (14), Gaurav (15), Munna (16), and Rohit (15) had gone to the river and though a large number of pilgrims were present at the spot, the relatives alleged nobody came forward to save them as the five boys started to drown. A local diver pressed into service saved Munna.

In another mishap, two boys were feared drowned in the Burhi Gandak at Mehda Shahpur Ghat of Begusarai district, 130km east of Patna.

Four youngsters had gone to take a dip in the Burhi Gandak river when the mishap occurred. Two of them swam to safety while the other two were yet to be found. They were from Cheria Bariyarpur village in Begusarai district.