Immersion during Karam Puja turns fatal in Jharkhand, 6 children drown

The Karam Puja celebrations turned tragic in Jharkhand's Palamu district after six children died in separate drowning incidents during the immersion of the Karam Dali on Wednesday.

Five children drowned in the Bokya area while the Karam Dali was being immersed in the Koel River. The incident took place in a pond located near the Koel River, according to the information available.

Karam Dali immersion (also known as Karam Visarjan) is the final, concluding ritual of the Karam festival, a major harvest and nature festival celebrated by tribal and farming communities in several states like Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Assam, and Bihar.

The incident triggered panic in the area, following which police reached the spot and launched relief and rescue operations. Local residents and the administration also joined the search for the children.

Four bodies have been recovered so far, while the search for one child is still underway.

In a separate incident, a 15-year-old girl drowned while the Karam Dali was being immersed in Nani Jharia.