India festival boat capsize kills 13 children

The boat overturned late Tuesday in Vaishali district in northeastern Bihar state, with locals rushing to pull people out of the water in the dark using mobile phones to find the bodies.

"It was dark when we suddenly heard children screaming and crying for help as the boat capsized," Ravi Yadav, a young villager who joined the rescue effort, told AFP.

"We managed to rescue only three children, using the light from mobile phones and torches, because it was dark."

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.

"It is devastating -- a few families have lost all their children," he said.

Six people were pulled out alive, including two children reported to be in critical condition.

Medic Nirmal Kumar, from the local health centre, said four children and two adults were sent to the district hospital.

"We tried our best to revive them... but 13 were already dead," Kumar said.

Vaishali district magistrate Varsha Singh told AFP 13 bodies had been recovered.

Source: Citizen Digital