A total of 43 people, including 37 kids, lost their lives in the mishap as three more are still reported missing in Bihar during the ‘Jivitputrika’ festival. The state government said that these drowning incidents took place when the devotees were bathing in rivers and ponds in fifteen districts during the festival. The ‘Jivitputrika’ festival is one of the biggest events in Bihar as women undergo fasting ceremonies for children’s sake and immerse themselves in holy water.
The incidents of drowning were fished on Wednesday in several districts- East and West Champaran, Nalanda, Aurangabad Kaimur, Buxar, Siwan Rohtas, Saran Patna, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Gopalganj and Arwal. The Disaster Management Department (DMD), Bihar, while speaking about the train derailment incident, stated that 43 dead bodies have been recovered up until now, and there are still search operations under progress to find the rest of the missing people.
CM of Bihar, Mr Nitish Kumar, also condoled the death and assured an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of the victims. The Disaster Management Department statement confirms that the payment of compensation has started with eight families benefiting from the compensation.
Aurangabad District Magistrate Srikant Shastri said it was tragic that the victims, together with their families, were taking the holy bath at ponds and rivers during the ‘Jivitputrika’ festival. The ritual was performed by many families, mainly in rural areas, by gathering near natural water bodies; it caused a lot of death since families crowded around the ponds and rivers, which were also unsafe.
The state government has appealed to followers to take more precautions when in worship centres, especially during festivals where water is used in worship. Police have also started conducting aggressive awareness campaigns that may help discourage people from undertaking similar acts in the future, especially during festivities that draw crowds.
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