Eight persons, mostly children, drowned and seven others were feared dead when a country boat capsized in swollen Benti river in Bihar's Samastipur district on Friday evening, a senior official said.
District Magistrate M Sharavan Kumar told PTI that around 30 passengers were in the boat which was taking them from Sariya village to Sakra for prayers on the occasion of Nag Panchami.
The boat got caught in the whirlpool and overturned, Kumar said.
Of the passengers travelling in the boat, 15 swam to safety while the others were feared drowned.
Eight bodies, mostly those of children, were fished out of the river. Divers were looking for the missing persons, the DM said.
Kumar said the state government would provide an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh to the dependents of each of the victims.
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