Key facts
- Thirteen children under 15 died when a boat capsized in India's Ganges River.
- The incident occurred Tuesday evening in Vaishali district, Bihar state.
- The boat was carrying approximately 20 people to a feast.
- Seven survivors were rescued and hospitalized.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced financial aid for the victims' families.
Thirteen children died after a boat carrying approximately 20 people capsized in India's Ganges River on Tuesday evening. The incident occurred in Vaishali district, Bihar state, while the passengers were en route to a feast. Rescue operations recovered 13 bodies, all of victims under 15 years old, and seven survivors were hospitalized.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the "deeply painful" tragedy and announced financial assistance of 200,000 rupees for the families of each deceased person and 50,000 rupees for those injured. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary also announced compensation of 400,000 rupees for the families of each deceased.
Local residents rushed to pull people from the water in the dark, using mobile phone lights. Reports suggest the boat may have been overloaded and in a dilapidated state, with a large hole discovered after it was retrieved. Eyewitnesses indicated the children were operating the boat when the accident occurred. The exact cause of the capsizing is under official investigation.