At least 12 people, including five children, drowned in two separate incidents in Bihar on Sunday, agencies reported.

At Vaishali, nine people on a picnic died after falling into the Ganga, PTI reported. The picnickers were standing on top of a mound formed by silt near the Mastana Ghat, when a child fell in, PTI quoted Naseem Ahmed, officer in charge of the Fatuha police station, as saying.

“The others jumped in to rescue the child and lost their lives,” said Ahmed, adding that nine bodies – five women and four men – had been recovered.

Patna district magistrate Sanjay Agarwal, however, said, he could confirm only eight deaths so far. “Two people are missing and efforts are on to trace them.”

Some reports said the victims drowned while trying to bathe in the river. The Bihar disaster management department said the picnickers drowned after venturing towards the dangerous side of the river, ANI reported. “The government is not answerable.”

In the second incident, three women drowned after their boat capsized in the Baghmati river in the Samastipur district, according to PTI. The small boat was carrying at least 12 people, the police said. Some of those on board swam to safety, and five others were rescued, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ajit Kumar told PTI.

The police said locals residents jumped into the river and helped pull out the bodies of the three women. “All those on the boat own cattle and routinely cross the river to collect fodder,” Kumar said.