Dozens of people have drowned in connection with Hindu bathing rituals in eastern India.
At least 46 people – including 37 children – died while bathing in lakes and rivers on Tuesday and Wednesday, says an official representative of the state of Bihar to AFP.
There have been many floods in the area due to rainy weather.
People ignored the dangerously high water levels in the rivers and lakes when they went bathing to celebrate this holiday, says the official, who spoke anonymously as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Three more people are being searched for in the waterways, according to his information.
The Hindu holiday is called jitaya. Mothers fast as a commitment to their children's well-being and the fast is broken after communal bathing.
