At least 13 children aged 15 or below died when a boat capsized in the Ganga in Vaishali district, Bihar, at about 8:30 pm on October 13, 2026, according to the District Magistrate.
An eyewitness alleged negligence, and an opposition leader gave a higher toll of 14; neither claim was confirmed by officials in the reports.
The Prime Minister announced Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF and the Chief Minister announced Rs 4 lakh for each family of the deceased.
The cause had not been established and the reports mention no FIR or arrests.
Villagers and local boatmen pulled people out of the water using traditional cots and ropes, according to The Daily Jagran.
Rescuers continued searching to determine whether anyone else was missing, according to India TV.
The cause of the accident had not been established when the reports were published.
An eyewitness told The Daily Jagran that the boat broke or gave way in the middle of the current, that officials had been told about its poor condition, and that the administration arrived about an hour after being alerted. These are the eyewitness’s claims, and the article carried no official response.
Other reports mention strong currents and possible imbalance as factors being examined, and one described the boat as overloaded, but these have not been confirmed by officials.
The reports do not mention an FIR or any arrests.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief on X and announced Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each person who died, and Rs 50,000 for each injured person, according to India TV.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced Rs 4 lakh for the family of each person who died, according to the reports.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan, whose constituency includes the area, expressed sorrow over the deaths, according to Outlook.
River Ganges at Patna (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
