Drowning incidents claim 46 lives in Bihar during Jitiya festival

In Bihar, 46 people, including 37 children and seven women, lost their lives during the Jitiya festival, a time traditionally marked by devotion and family gatherings. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed his condolences to the families affected and announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of each victim.

The incidents took place over the past 24 hours in multiple districts, including East and West Champaran, Aurangabad, Kaimur, Buxar, Siwan, Rohtas, Saran, Patna, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Gopalganj, and Arwal. According to the Disaster Management Department (DMD), 43 bodies have already been recovered, with efforts ongoing to locate the remaining individuals.

The Jitiya festival, celebrated by mothers seeking the welfare and prosperity of their children, saw families flocking to various water bodies for ceremonial dips. Unfortunately, many children were swept away during these rituals. In Aurangabad, eight children drowned, with four fatalities reported from Itahat village and another four from Kushaha village. Similarly, seven minors were confirmed drowned in the Kaimur district.

Rescue operations have been bolstered by the deployment of teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to aid in the search efforts. Aurangabad District Magistrate Srikant Shastri noted that many incidents occurred when families sought a holy dip in the waters.

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