Eleven people, including seven teenagers, drowned in separate incidents in Gujarat’s Devbhumi Dwarka, Kheda, and Mahisagar districts following Dhuleti celebrations on Friday, according to police.
Dhuleti, a colour festival, is celebrated in the state a day after Holi.
According to police, five boys who entered the water for bathing after celebrating Dhuleti, drowned in the Triveni river after misjudging its depth, the police said.
They were identified as Jit Luhar (16), Himanshu Rathod (17), Bhupen Bagda (16), Dhaval Chandegara (16) and Hitarth Goswami (16), all local residents.
Fire brigade personnel from Bhanvad and Khambhalia towns along with local divers retrieved the bodies, Bhanvad police station’s sub-inspector Nikunj Joshi said.
Two teenagers drowned in a lake near Zarol village in Vaso taluka of Kheda district after celebrating Dhuleti, said a local police official.
He identified those dead as Pritesh Solanki (15) and Sagar Solanki (14), both residents of Zarol village.
In neighbouring Mahisagar district, four unidentified youngsters lost their lives after drowning in the Mahisagar river near Wanakbori dam.
“After attending a fair near the dam, these youngsters, who had come in a car, got into the river to bath. After they went under, passersby alerted police and fire brigade. The bodies were fished out after an hour-long operation by divers,” said an official of Balasinor police station.