Holi tragedy: Eight drown in Ganga

The victims, aged between 16 and 26, were washed away while taking bath in Bithoor and Ganga barrage in Kohna.

Among those who died at Ganga barrage were two brothers -- Sohit, 16, and Mohit, 18 -- and Rishabh Tripathi, 18, Vinay Mani, 20, and Gaurav, 18, said Nishikant Rai, public relations officer to director general of police said Wednesday.

"The current in the river was strong and the youngsters, apparently under the influence of liquor, were washed away," he told IANS.

All five bodies were recovered by divers. The youth were from Rawatpur, Naubasta and Barra areas of the city.

In another incident, three youngsters bathing in the same river in Bithoor too were washed away.

They were identified as Anshu Gupta, 26 and Dinesh, 25 and Mohit Sharma, 24, police said.

The bodies have been sent for autopsy and the families informed about the tragedy, Inspector General (Law and Order) R K Vishwakarma said.u00a0