People watch from a bridge as rescue personnel conduct a search operation for the missing after a boat capsized in Ganga river in Bihar's Vaishali district on October 14, 2026. (AFP Photo)
Rescuers dragged out 13 dead children from India’s Ganges River after an overloaded boat capsized en route to a Hindu festival, officials said on Oct. 14, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing grief over the “deeply painful” tragedy.
The boat overturned late on Oct. 13 in Vaishali district in eastern Bihar state, with locals rushing to pull people out of the water in the dark using mobile phones to find the bodies.
Villager Ramlakhan Rai said the boat was “small” and “not in good condition,” saying people were crammed onto a vessel suitable for just a handful.
Six people were pulled out alive, including two children reported to be in critical condition. Medic Nirmal Kumar, from the local health center, said four children and two adults were sent to the district hospital.
Vaishali district magistrate Varsha Singh told AFP 13 bodies had been recovered.
“The loss of lives in the boat capsizing incident in Vaishali, Bihar is deeply painful,” Modi said in a statement on Oct. 14, announcing compensation for their families.
