- Authorities said many people ignored the dangerous waters to bathe.
Dozens of children tragically drowned during a ritual bath in rivers and ponds during a three-day Hindu festival in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, officials said.
Recently, heavy monsoon rains had raised water levels across the state, killing dozens and displacing thousands as houses collapsed into the Ganges.
At least 46 people, including 37 children, drowned in separate incidents in 15 districts during the Jitiya festival, according to a statement from the Bihar disaster management department.
Authorities have so far recovered 43 bodies and the three missing people 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 run to bathe in the waters of the sacred Ganges during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in India in 2013 (File photo)
Hindu saints take a sacred 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.
Sometimes women are accompanied by their children when they visit rivers and ponds to perform cleansing rituals.
Seven women were reported drowned in all 15 districts during the Jitiya festival.
Disaster management groups continue to carry out search operations to rescue survivors.
Bihar officials said people ignored dangerous river water levels to participate in the ceremony, which concluded Thursday.
Heavy rains and floods have hit several Indian provinces in recent weeks, killing dozens of people.
Climate change is thought to have made monsoon weather more unstable, and warming of the Indian Ocean has created “flying rivers” that last from summer to September.
Fatal accidents such as drownings and stampedes during religious festivals are common in India.
Houses partially submerged by Ganges River floods 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 the Ganges river rises following heavy rains, in Patna on September 23.
In July, at least 121 people died after severe overcrowding and lack of exits contributed to a stampede at a religious festival in northern India.
In March, heavy rain caused the roof of an airport to collapse.
No one was injured, but flights from Guwahati airport in northeastern India were suspended.
Travelers were then seen evacuating the terminal as water and pieces of roof entered the building.
Footage showed water entering another part of the terminal, raining on shops and flooding an airport restaurant.