Tragedy Strikes During Hindu Festival Celebration in Eastern India
NEW DELHI — A total of 46 individuals, comprising 37 children and seven women, tragically lost their lives while partaking in festivities for a Hindu religious festival in eastern India, according to local officials.
The devastating fatalities occurred across 15 districts within the past 24 hours, with a disaster management official attributing the deaths to ritual bathing in rivers and ponds that had become swollen due to recent flooding.
The three-day Jivitputrika festival, which annually celebrates children’s well-being and involves mothers fasting for their offspring, took a tragic turn as many individuals in Bihar ignored the hazardous water levels while engaging in the celebratory bathing rituals.
Authorities in the state expressed concerns over a potential rise in the death toll and assured that families and relatives of the victims would receive compensation for their losses.
Deadly accidents during major festivals have been a recurring issue in India, with instances of large crowds gathering in confined spaces without proper safety protocols. In a similar tragedy in July, 121 individuals lost their lives in a stampede during a religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh, while in 2018, nearly 60 people were killed when a train collided with a crowd attending Dusshera celebrations, a Hindu festival. — BBC
