46 people drown during Hindu festival in India: government official – World

At least 46 people, including 37 children, drowned while celebrating a Hindu festival in eastern India, a local government official said AFP on Thursday.

The victims drowned in separate incidents in Bihar state while ritually bathing in rivers and ponds swollen by recent floods, a Bihar disaster management department official said AFP.

“While bathing to celebrate this festival, people ignored dangerous water levels in rivers and ponds,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The drownings occurred in 15 districts of Bihar state starting Tuesday as devotees celebrated the Jitiya Parv Hindu festival celebrated by mothers for the benefit of their children.

Authorities were still working to recover three more bodies, the official said. Jitiya Parv lasts for several days and is also observed in neighboring states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand and parts of the southern plains of Nepal.

The Bihar state government has announced compensation for all the victims' families, the government official said.

Last year, local media reported that 22 people drowned in Bihar within 24 hours, most of them during the same festival.

During major religious festivals in India, fatal incidents often occur at places of worship. The largest of these cause millions of believers to undertake pilgrimages to holy sites.

At least 116 people were crushed to death at a crowded Hindu religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh state in July, the worst such tragedy in more than a decade.

Every year, India is hit by heavy rains and flash floods during the monsoon season from June to September.

The monsoon is vital for agriculture and therefore for the livelihoods of millions of farmers.

But it is also responsible for widespread destruction in the form of landslides and floods that kill hundreds of people across South Asia every year.

More than 200 people died in the southern Indian state of Kerala in July when torrential monsoon rains caused landslides that buried tea plantations under tons of rock and soil.

Experts say climate change is increasing the number of extreme weather events around the world, with dams, deforestation and development projects in India worsening the toll.

A 2021 study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, which tracked monsoon shifts since the mid-20th century, suggested that it was becoming stronger and more irregular.

At least 4 dead as heavy rains paralyze Mumbai

Meanwhile, India's financial capital Mumbai was hit by heavy rains, triggering floods and leaving at least four people dead. They also paralyzed the city and forced schools to close on Thursday.

About 275 mm (11 inches) of rain fell in some parts of Mumbai on Wednesday evening, paralyzing road traffic and delaying trains that millions of city residents use every day.

Officials said four people died in rain-related accidents.

As more rain was expected, authorities issued a red alert for the entire city and urged residents to stay at home. Schools and colleges were closed and fishermen were asked to stay on shore until Friday.

Drone footage posted on social media showed congested highways jammed with cars – some with their drivers still inside, others left behind by frustrated drivers.

Hundreds of thousands of commuters were on the road for hours.

India's monsoon rains began easing in the northwest of the country earlier this week, almost a week later than normal, the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement.

Monsoon generally begins in June and wanes by September 17th. However, rains continued this year, helping to replenish reservoirs but affecting crops in some states.

Heavy rain was also forecast for some parts of southern Telengana state on Thursday, the weather office said.

Indian officials reported earlier this month that more than 60 people had died in three states due to severe flooding caused by heavy rains in recent days.

Rivers burst their banks and more than 30,000 people fled their homes.

According to the state government, 13 people died from drowning, the rest from houses or trees collapsing.

In August, rescue workers rescued nearly 1,000 people stranded in various parts of the Himalayas after torrential rains in northern India caused widespread damage and killed at least 12 people.