Ballia, 28

Oct (HS): Three individuals perished in separate instances during Chhath

festivities in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district, authorities said on Tuesday. According

to authorities, the fatalities occurred in the district's Nagra, Bansdih, and

Maniyar police stations. Mahesh Patel, 28, of Nagra, fell into a pond while

collecting water for Chhath ceremonies. Villagers rescued him and sent him to a

local hospital, then to the district hospital, where physicians pronounced him

dead. In the second instance, Dhela Mishra, 50, drowned while taking a holy

plunge in a pond near a temple in Agaur village, which is part of the Bansdih

police station district. According to

police, the body was recovered from the water and submitted for a postmortem.

Anuj Paswan drowned

at Mallowa village, Maniyar police station, while constructing a ceremonial

platform ('bedi') beside a pond. He was

transported to a local hospital, where physicians pronounced him dead.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi