Bihar deaths: During the ‘Jivitputrika’ festival in the state on Wednesday, as many as 43 people—including 37 children—drowned in various incidences in 15 districts around the state while taking holy dives in rivers and ponds. As of right now, 43 dead have been found, according to state officials, and efforts are being made to locate the remaining three missing persons.

“So far, 43 corpses have been found and retrieved. Additional search efforts are underway, according to a statement released on Thursday by the Disaster Management Department (DMD) in Bihar.

The drowning occurrences occurred on Wednesday during the “Jivitputrika” celebration in 15 districts of Bihar, according to authorities.

“East and West Champaran, Nalanda, Aurangabad, Kaimur, Buxar, Siwan, Rohtas, Saran, Patna, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Gopalganj, and Arwal districts were the locations of the drowning incidents,” they said.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar released an official statement in which he conveyed his sorrow over the deaths and provided an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the bereaved families.

According to the announcement, the ex-gratia payment procedure has started, and the families of eight dead people have already received it.

The “Jivitputrika” festival is observed across Bihar and other regions of the nation, when women fast for the health of their offspring and partake in ceremonial baths in rivers, ponds, and other bodies of water.