- Officials said many people ignored the dangerous waters to bathe
Dozens of children tragically drowned during ritual bathing in rivers and ponds during a three-day Hindu festival in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, officials said.
Heavy monsoon rains had recently raised water levels across the state, killing dozens and displacing thousands of people as houses collapsed into the Ganges.
At least 46 people, including 37 children, drowned in separate incidents in 15 districts during the Jitiya festival, a statement from the Bihar disaster management department said.
Authorities have recovered 43 bodies so far and the three missing persons are presumed dead.
The state government has announced compensation of 400,000 rupees (£3,572) for the families of each of the dead.
Naga sadhus enter to bathe in the waters of the holy Ganges during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in India in 2013 (file photo)
Hindu holy men take a holy dip in the waters of the Ganges during a religious ceremony in 2021
During the annual festival, mothers fast for 24 hours for the well-being of their children.
The women are sometimes accompanied by their children when they visit rivers and ponds for cleansing rituals.
Seven women are said to have drowned in the fifteen districts during the Jitiya festival.
Disaster management groups are still conducting searches to rescue survivors.
Officials in Bihar said people ignored dangerous water levels in rivers to participate in the ceremony, which concluded on Thursday.
Heavy rains and floods have hit several provinces of India in recent weeks, killing dozens of people.
Climate change is thought to have made monsoon weather more unstable, with the warming of the Indian Ocean creating ‘flying rivers’ that last throughout the summer until September.
Fatal accidents such as drownings and stampedes during religious festivals are common in India.
Houses partially submerged in floodwaters of the Ganges River, in Patna on September 20
Flood-affected people along with their belongings move to a safer place in a boat after the water level of river Ganga rose following heavy rains in Patna on September 23
At least 121 people were killed in July after severe overcrowding and a lack of exits contributed to a stampede at a religious festival in northern India.
In March, heavy rain caused an airport ceiling to collapse.
No one was reported to have been injured, but flights from Guwahati airport in northeastern India were suspended.
We then saw travelers evacuating the terminal as water and ceiling pieces poured into the building.
Footage showed water pouring into the other part of the terminal, spilling over shops and flooding an airport restaurant.