Two minors went missing after a bath in the Ganga in Murshidabad's Samserganj on Tuesday.

The missing boys Enayet Ansari, 8, and Samir Momin, 9, are students of Classes II and III, respectively.

Their family members said they were playing in a field near the river. An eyewitness said that around noon the two went to wash themselves in the river and were seen splashing water at each other. Suddenly, a strong gush of water swept them away.

A team from Samserganj police station rushed to the spot on being alerted and launched a search operation. However, till late evening, the two boys remained untraced.

Enayet Ansari’s father, Abul Hossain Tarif, said: “My son, along with Samir, were merely following their daily routine. They go the field and later wash themselves in the river every day.”

He wept that the boys had not yet been found.

Superintendent of police, Jangipur police district, Ananda Roy, said: “I am aware of the tragic incident.... Expert divers have been deployed to search for the two children.”

He added: “Such events have become frequent in this area. Awareness programmes have to be organised to prevent such accidents."