Boat Capsizes in River, Killing 13, Mostly Children

At least 13 people have died after a boat capsized in a river in Vaishali district, in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Most of the victims were children who were on board when the incident occurred.

Senior local government official Varsha Singh said 13 bodies had been recovered by Tuesday evening (13 October 2026), local time.

“Seven people have been rescued and further rescue operations are under way,” she told reporters, as quoted by Anadolu Agency on Wednesday (14 October 2026).

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said the government had ordered relief and rescue operations to be accelerated. He also called for better medical care for those injured.

According to Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar’s opposition leader and a local legislator, the children were travelling by boat to attend a feast when the accident happened.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences over the incident, describing the loss of life as “deeply distressing”.

“My prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult time. I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured,” Modi wrote on the social media platform X.

Modi added that the state government was providing assistance to the affected community. Rescue operations were continuing to search for any further victims.

At the time of reporting, the authorities had not provided further details about what caused the boat to capsize. The death toll could also change as rescue operations continue.