People stand on the shore of a lake as members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) undertake a rescue operation at Khatlapura Ghat in Bhopal, India 13 September 2019. According to media reports, at least 11 people drowned after an overloaded boat capsized in a lake during Ganesh immersions that mark the end of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. EPA-EFE/SANJEEV GUPTA
Twelve people drowned in a lake in central India on Friday morning when their boats capsised during a religious ceremony, authorities said.
The boats carrying 20-25 people tipped over in the early hours in Bhopal as they were about to immerse an idol of the Hindu elephant god Ganesha.
“Twelve bodies have been retrieved so far and [the] search is on for one more person,” the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said in a statement.
This week marks the end of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, when colourfully decorated idols of Ganesha are immersed in water.
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