At least 46 people, including 37 children, drowned while celebrating a Hindu festival in eastern India, according to a local government official on September 26, 2024.
The victims drowned in separate incidents in the state of Bihar while performing ritual baths in rivers and ponds that had swollen due to recent flooding. A disaster management official, who requested anonymity, stated, "People ignored the danger posed by the water levels in the rivers" during the festivities.
The drownings occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday across 15 districts in Bihar as devotees participated in the Jitiya Parv festival, observed by mothers for the well-being of their children. Authorities continued efforts to recover three more bodies, the disaster management official reported.
Hindu religious festivals, which can attract millions of participants, are often the scene of accidents. In July, more than 120 people died in a stampede in Uttar Pradesh, where over 250,000 gathered to hear a prominent Hindu preacher, marking the deadliest incident of its kind in India in nearly a decade.
Flooding and landslides are common in India during the monsoon season, which lasts from July to September. Each year, adverse weather conditions claim hundreds of lives in the country. Scientists believe climate change exacerbates the frequency, intensity, and unpredictability of such events.