Thirteen children aged 15 or below died after a boat carrying them capsized in Bihars Vaishali district on Tuesday evening, District Magistrate Varsha Singh said.
According to the District Magistrate, the incident occurred at around 8:30 pm when a boat carrying around 20 children capsized as they were travelling to attend a feast in a neighbouring village.
Describing the incident as tragic, Singh told reporters that seven people had been rescued and taken to NMCH, where their condition was reported to be stable.
The District Magistrate said a team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was at the site, with rescue operations underway with the help of local divers.
She added that 13 children had been found dead, all of whom were aged 15 years or below.
Rescue operations continued after the incident, with teams working to determine whether anyone else was missing. Further details are awaited.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased person. He also announced financial assistance of Rs 50,000 for each person injured in the incident.
In a post on X, the Prime Ministers Office said PM Modi had expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.
“The loss of lives in the boat capsizing incident in Vaishali, Bihar, is deeply painful. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this difficult time. I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured. The local administration is assisting those affected,” the post read.
The PMO added, “An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.”
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the family of each deceased person.