Overview

• Agra police confirmed five deaths and said seven people remain missing after worshippers slipped into a deep pit in the Utangan river during a Durga idol immersion in Khairagarh.
• Large rescue operations are underway with multiple NDRF and SDRF units, PAC divers, local teams and Army para engineers searching the site under the supervision of senior district officials.
• Authorities said the group used a non-designated stretch despite a prepared immersion site, and officials linked the hazard to a 20–25 ft pit likely shaped by sand mining and elevated water levels, as villagers protested the pace of the response.
• Kolkata tightened security at 28 immersion ghats with disaster teams, drones and extra CCTVs and will stage an Oct 5 Immersion Carnival featuring 113 award-winning pujas under extensive traffic restrictions.
• Immersions in Odisha, Jharkhand and Meghalaya saw heavy security and environmental controls, though a pre-dawn clash in Cuttack injured six including the DCP before processions resumed under CAPF guard.