13 children die in India festival boat capsize

Thirteen children died after a boat capsized in India's Ganges river while travelling to a festival, officials said Wednesday.

The boat was carrying 15 to 20 people when it overturned late Tuesday in Vaishali district in Bihar state, District Magistrate Varsha Singh said, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

Singh said all 13 victims were aged 15 or younger and that the exact number of passengers was not yet known.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the deaths “deeply painful” and announced compensation for the children's families.

Rescue operations were continuing.