Three children were reported missing in the surging Ganga in Murshidabad over Wednesday and Thursday, a few weeks after Jangipur police district had officially barred those aged under 15 from bathing in rivers until the end of the monsoon.

The order, which the police said on Thursday had fallen on deaf ears, had underscored that children were being pulled away in currents and losing their lives in the absence of swimming skills.

On Thursday, a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old went missing in the Ganga at two spots in Samserganj.

In the first incident, Rudra Ghosh from Dhulian had reportedly stepped into the waters for a swim and was reported missing shortly after.

In a separate incident that occurred at nearby Kamalpur, Rahid Sheikh, 3, was seen to have “toppled” into the rushing river where his mother was bathing. Rahid had reportedly been placed on a brick near the edge of the bank.

On Wednesday, Class IX student Neha Khatun, 13, had been pulled into a current in the Ganga near Suti while she and her friends had gone to take a dip together.

None of the three was found till late on Thursday.

“Police are conducting searches in the river. We will conduct further awareness drives for parents in the area to disallow monsoon swimming,” said superintendent of the Jangipur police district, Y. Raghuvamshi.