Ganpati immersion ends; 18 drowning deaths across Maharashtra

At least 18 persons drowned during immersion of Ganesh idols across Maharashtra, police said on Friday.

Immersion processions, which began on 'Anant Chaturdashi' on Thursday, continued into Friday morning in Mumbai, Pune and other big cities.

Incidents of people drowning during immersion were reported from Amravati, Nashik, Thane, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Dhule, Bhandara, Nanded, Ahmednagar, Akola and Satara districts, a police official said.

A total of 18 persons lost their lives, he said.

Four persons drowned in Amravati, three in Ratnagiri, two each in Nashik, Sindhudurg and Satara, one each in Thane, Dhule, Buldhana, Akola and Bhandara.

In neighbouring Thane, Kalpesh Jadhav (15), resident of Kasara, drowned while immersing a Ganpati idol Thursday evening.

Four persons drowned on Thursday in the Purna river in Amravati's Watole Shukleshwar village.

In Nashik, two persons drowned, three were rescued while one was missing, police said.

The deceased were identified as ...