Eight persons drowned while performing religious rituals in separate incidents in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, police said.

Most of these incidents took place when the victims were taking a dip in a river on the occasion of Sarva Pitru Amavasya.

In Khargone district, three girls including two sisters drowned in Choral river under the Balwada police station limits while another girl was rescued, said an official.

District Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Archana Rawat said the girls had gone to the river to perform a religious ritual with a group. One of the girls slipped and fell into the water, following which three other girls tried to rescue her.

The deceased were identified as sisters Anshika (10) and Meenakshi (12), and another girl named Karishma (14), Rawat said.

In Shajapur district, a 30-year-old man drowned while his 19-year-old nephew went missing when they were taking a dip at the confluence of Parvati and Ajnala rivers on the occasion of Sarva Pitru Amavasya, said police officer Manohar Singh.

The deceased was identified as Kripal Singh Mewada. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have launched an operation to trace his nephew Nirmal Mewada, he said.

In Morena district, Rahul Kushwaha (18) and his brother Megh Singh (15) drowned in Kunwari river in Bada Ganv under Kailaras police station limits around 11 am, said Additional Superintendent of Police Arvind Thakur.

The boys had gone to the river with their father to perform rituals on the occasion of Sarva Pitru Moksha Amavasya.

The bodies were fished out later, the official said.

In Khandwa district, a woman identified as Renu Patidar (40) and Niharika Patidar (18), both relatives, drowned while bathing in the Narmada river at Omkareshwar on the occasion of Sarva Pitru Moksha Amavasya, said Additional Superintendent of Police Rajesh Raghuvanshi.

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