37 children among 46 drown during Hindu festival in Indian state of Bihar

At least 46 people have drowned, most of them children, while bathing in rivers and ponds swollen by recent floods during the observance of a Hindu religious festival celebrated by millions in north India, authorities said on Thursday.

The dead include 37 children and seven women who drowned on Wednesday in the eastern state of Bihar in scattered incidents across 15 districts, a statement from Bihar's disaster management department said.

The victims drowned in separate incidents in Bihar state while ritually bathing in rivers and ponds swollen by recent flooding, an official from the Bihar Disaster Management Department told AFP.

"People ignored dangerous water levels in rivers as well as ponds while bathing to celebrate this festival," said the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The drownings occurred from Tuesday across 15 districts of Bihar state as devotees marked Jivitputrika Vrat Hindu festival, observed by mothers for the wellbeing of their children. Authorities were still working to recover three other bodies, the official said.

Jivitputrika Vrat runs over several days and is also observed in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand states, and in parts of Nepal's southern plains.

Devotees were celebrating the annual festival of Jivitputrika Vrat, during which women fast for 24 hours and offer prayers for the wellbeing of their children. They also travel to rivers and ponds in their neighbourhood to bathe, sometimes accompanied by their children.

The state government has announced compensation of Rs400,000 ($4,784) for the families of each of the deceased, the statement said.

India has seen deadly stampedes during religious events in the past but widespread drowning incidents during festivals are rare. Local media reported that some of the rivers and ponds in the state had been swollen by floods following heavy rains.

Reuters / AFP