Patna: At least 53 people drowned in rivers in different districts of Bihar on the occasion of Chhath Puja, police said on Sunday. CM Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the deaths due to the four-day Chhath festival. Along with this, compensation has also been announced to the families of the deceased. An official of the Disaster Management Department said that 53 people drowned in rivers and ponds due to Chhath Puja. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over this. The chief minister also announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.  

Nitish Kumar has directed all collectors to pay the compensation amount to the victim's family at the earliest. According to the official, five persons drowned in the Purnea district on October 30, while three each died in Patna, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Saharsa. Apart from this, one person each died in Gaya, Begusarai, Katihar, Buxar, Kaimur, Sitamarhi and Banka among other districts.  

According to the report, the officer said that on October 31, the last day of the festival, at least 18 people died due to drowning in the state. The state disaster management is trying to identify all the deceased at the earliest. The festival of Chhath is celebrated with pomp in states like eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, but this time Chhath was seen across the country. In the Chhath festival, standing in a river or pond, Arghya is offered to the rising and setting sun and praying to God for the longevity and prosperity of the child.  

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