LUCKNOW, India — At least 46 people, most of them children, have drowned while bathing in rivers and ponds swollen by recent floods during the observance of a Hindu religious festival celebrated by millions in north India, authorities said Thursday. India has seen deadly stampedes during religious events in the past, but widespread drowning incidents during festivals are rare. Local media reported that some of the rivers and ponds in the state had been swollen by floods following heavy rains. Devotees were celebrating the annual festival of Jivitputrika Vrat, during which women fast for 24 hours and offer prayers for the well-being of their children. They also travel to rivers and ponds in their neighborhood to bathe, sometimes accompanied by their children.

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Persons: Jivitputrika Vrat Locations: LUCKNOW, India, Bihar