Around 18 persons were reported drowned in separate incidents during immersion of Ganesh idols across the state, police stated on Friday. Immersions, which began on Thursday on Anant Chaturdashi continued into Friday morning in several parts of Mumbai, Sangli and Pune officials said. Drowning incidents during immersion of Ganesh idols were reported in 11 districts comprising Nashik, Thane, Amravati, Sindhudurg, Dhule, Ratnagiri, Bhandara, Ahmednagar, Nanded, Akola and Satara, an official informed, adding that 18 persons lost their lives in these incidents.

The deaths include three in Ratnagiri, four in Amravati, two each in Nashik, Satara and Sindhudurg, one each in Thane, Buldhana, Dhule, Akola and Bhandara. In Thane, a boy identified as Kalpesh Jadhav (15), resident of Kasara, drowned while immersing a Ganpati idol. The incident occurred around 7:30 pm on Thursday, an official said. The bodies of four persons taking part on Thursday in immersion in Purna river in Amravati's Watole Shukleshwar village were fished out, he added.