Six people, including four minors, drowned in two separate incidents in Palamu district on Wednesday during the ceremonial immersion of tree branches worshipped at the tribal festival Karam, police said.
Five of the deaths were reported in Bokaya village and the other in Nani Jharia hamlet.
Jharkhand celebrated Karam, one of the biggest tribal festivals after Sarhul, on Tuesday. The festival concludes with the immersion of a branch of Karam tree that was worshipped during the festival.
Palamu Superintendent of Police Kapil Choudhary said an eight-year-old boy had drifted deep into the Koel river during the immersion ceremony in Bokaya village. Four people jumped in to rescue him, and all of them drowned, he said.