PATNA, India — Dozens of children drowned while bathing in rivers and ponds in rituals that were part of a three-day Hindu festival in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, officials said.
Heavy monsoon rains recently had raised the levels of watercourses across the state.
At least 46 people, including 37 children, drowned in separate incidents in the state’s 15 districts, a statement from Bihar’s disaster management department said. Authorities have so far found 43 bodies and the three missing people are presumed dead.
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 purification rituals. The festival ended on Thursday.
The state government has announced compensation of 400,000 rupees ($4,784) to the families of each of the dead.
Fatal accidents such as drowning and stampedes during religious festivals are common in India.
In July, at least 121 people were killed after severe overcrowding and a lack of exits contributed to one stampede at a religious festival in North India.