NEW DELHI: As many as 19 people died after the boat turned over in river Ganges. The police reported that there were 40 revellers that were returning from a kite festival on the boat and it capsized causing the death of 19 people. Senior police superintendent Manu Maharaj stated to the sources, “We can confirm that 19 people have died. Rescue operations to find those still missing have begun.” Victims were travelling to participate in the Hindu festivals of Makar Sakranti near Patna. As a part of the sacred religious ritual, Hindus take a dip in the river on the occasion of Makar Sakranti. Sources claimed the boat was overloaded beyond capacity with people that were attending the religious festival. Since there was no passenger list, the exact number of those missing could not be claimed. However, some passengers managed to swim to the shore. According to media, senior officials have camped near the site of incident to carry out a search and rescue operation. State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced compensation of 400,000 rupees for the families of the victims and demanded the police to investigate the case.