
Recent incidents of flash floods in West Bengal and people drowning in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have claimed at least 13 people, and several others are missing, as the five-day-long Durga Pooja festival comes to an end.
Hundreds of people at the banks of the Mal river, Jagalpuro, West Bengal were hit by strong waves of water, leading to the deaths of eight people, amongst whom four were women.
The incident occurred around 8:30 on Wednesday (October 5) when hundreds of people went near the river during idol immersion on Vijayadashami. The NDRF, SDRF, and police, along with local authorities, are still searching for missing people.
Taking it to Twitter, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi expressed his condolences for the incident.
In North Uttar Pradesh, three people, including a 15-year-old boy, drowned in the Yamuna River during the idol immersion, and no one was recovered during the search operation, ANI reported.
In the west, Rajasthan's Ajmer reported a similar instance that occurred on Wednesday (October 6), where a ditch filled with rain water claimed the lives of six people during the idol immersion of an idol. All six bodies have been recovered by the authorities, and all of them will be handed over to their respective families later.
Many fear that the death toll might increase in West Bengal.
Similar incidents were reported last month in Maharashtra during Ganpati Visarjan on September 9, which claimed the lives of nearly 20 people all across the state, and eight were found dead in Haryana.
(With inputs from agencies)
WATCH WION LIVE HERE