Bihar: 7 Girls Among 8 Minors Dead Due To Drowning During 'Jivitputrika' Festival, CM Announces Ex-Gratia

Eight minors, mostly girls, drowned in Bihar's Aurangabad district during the 'Jivitputrika' festival while taking a holy bath in ponds.

Aurangabad (Bihar), Sep 25 (PTI) Eight minors, including seven girls, drowned while taking bath in ponds in two different villages in Bihar's Aurangabad district during 'Jivitputrika' festival on Wednesday, officials said.

Four people each drowned in two separate ponds in Kushaha village in Madanpur block and Itahat village in Barun block.

The victims have been identified as Pankaj Kumar (8), Sonali Kumari (13), Nilam Kumari (12), Rakhi Kumari (12), Anku Kumari (15), Nisha Kumari (12), Chulbul Kumari (13), Lazo Kumari (15), Rashi Kumari (18).

Speaking to PTI, District Magistrate Srikant Shastri said, "The incidents took place when the victims along with their family members went to the ponds to take a holy bath on the occasion of 'Jivitputrika' festival, during which women fast for the well-being of their children." "Officials concerned immediately reached the spots and retrieved them from the ponds and took them to the nearest hospitals, where doctors declared them dead," he said.

Officials of the district administration and police are further examining the matter.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar condoled the deaths and announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. 

MP: Class 9 student drowns in river after bunking school classes 

A Class 9 student drowned while taking a bath in a river after bunking school classes in Katni district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, police said.

The incident occurred in the afternoon in Katae Ghat river under Madhav Nagar police station limits, an official said.

"The boy, Harshit Tiwari, 14, who studied in Class 9 of a private school bunked the classes with his five friends and went to the river to take bath with them. However, after entering the river, he soon got trapped in deep water and drowned," he said.

People present there informed the police following which he was pulled out of the water and taken to a district hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the official said.

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)