Kolkata, India: Clinging to a wooden structure of an immersed idol of goddess Durga helped save three people who drifted away after high tide of river Ganga. They were rescued around 8 km away in the city, police said on Saturday.

Mohammed Hasim Ali Naskar, about 13 years old, Rafiqul Naskar, about 25 years old and Mohammed Aman, about 12 years old, lifted wooden structures of immersed Durga idols from river water when they drifted away due to a high tide, reports NDTV.

The wooden structure acts as base on which the clay idol of the goddess is erected. The structures are lifted from water after immersion and reused.

The three were rescued by joint teams of Kolkata Police Disaster Management Group (DMG) and local police stations.

After receiving the information that the three were drifted away by strong upstream current, ‘we alerted all upstream ghats and a search was launched by River Traffic Police and the DMG,’ an officer said.

After a three-hour long search, they were found floating clinging to a wooden structure near Kashi Mitra Ghat under the North Port Police Station.

‘They could have drowned. But they managed to cling to the wooden structure and that saved them. We thank the local people in lending hands in saving them,’ he said.