India festival boat capsize kills 13 children
NEW DELHI, India (AFP)—Rescuers dragged out 13 dead children from India’s Ganges river after a boat capsized en route to a festival, officials said Wednesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing grief.
The boat was carrying 15 to 20 people when it overturned late Tuesday in Vaishali district in Bihar state, District Magistrate Varsha Singh said, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
All 13 victims were aged 15 or younger, Singh said, adding that the exact number of passengers was not yet known.
“The loss of lives in the boat capsizing incident in Vaishali, Bihar, is deeply painful,” Modi said in a statement on Wednesday, announcing compensation for their families.
“My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this difficult time.”
Rescue operations continue.
