Millions of Hindus bathe in Ganges for harvest festival
Millions of Hindus took a dip Saturday in the holy Ganges river to celebrate the winter harvest festival, braving cold that has claimed scores of lives across the country.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined the river before dawn at Ganga Sagar where it empties into the Bay of Bengal.
However, a local official said four people died and two dozen more fell ill after entering the chilly Ganges, which devout Hindus worship as a goddess.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "Four people have died because of cold," district magistrate Roshni Sen said at Ganga Sagar, 120 km from Kolkata, capital of the eastern state of West Bengal.
Sen said that the victims were old people who had succumbed to the early morning chill and exhaustion.