Bihar: Nine, including four children feared drowned in Ganga in Vaishali district, four others missing

At least nine people, including five children, drowned in two incidents in Vaishali and Samastipur districts of Bihar today, police said. Further, four people are said to be missing. The incident comes close on the heels of a tragic incident on the banks of the Ganga in Bihar. On Saturday, three pilgrims were killed and over a dozen others were injured in a stampede on the banks of the river in Begusarai district . According to  Live Hindustan, all three deceased were women. Sadar Deputy Superintendent of Police Mithilesh Kumar on Saturday said the incident occurred in a narrow lane next to Simaria ghat, where thousands of pilgrims gathered for the holy dip on the occasion of Kartik Purnima. Immediately after the incident, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex gratia of Rs four lakh for the kin of those who lost their lives. On the occasion of ‘Kartik Purnima’, starting on Saturday, hundreds and thousands of Hindu devotees take a holy dip in the river Ganga. Pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan travel miles to be part of the festivities. Kartik Purnima is a major festival in north India which celebrates the arrival of Lord Vishnu as Matsya (fish) on earth. The festival is also celebrated as Dev Diwali — the festival of the gods. With inputs from agencies