Dozens of children have left a void in the hearts of their loved ones with their untimely demise during the observance of a Hindu religious festival in India.
At least 46 people, especially kids, have drowned while bathing in rivers and ponds swollen by recent floods in the eastern state of Bihar.
The dead include 37 children and seven women in scattered incidents across 15 districts, authorities reported on Thursday.
Devotees have been celebrating the annual festival of Jivitputrika Vrat with utmost dedication, which saw women fast for 24 hours straight and offer prayers.
As per the ritual, they also travel to the rivers and ponds in the neighbourhood to bathe, sometimes accompanied by their kids.
The Bihar State government is being quite generous by announcing a compensation of 400,000 rupees for the families of each of the deceased.
To note, 116 people were crushed to death in July at an overcrowded Hindu religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh state, marking the worst tragedy in a decade.
Also, India has faced a huge loss after being lashed by torrential rains and flash floods during the June-September monsoon season.
More than 200 people were killed in the Southern Indian state of Kerala back in July as landslides buried tea plantations under tons of rock and soil.
