Seven pilgrims were feared dead when a boat capsized mid-stream in the Saryu river in Ayodhya on Wednesday morning.
Two pilgrims on the ill-fated boat were rescued by the local residents.
The police rushed to the spot on getting information about the mishap and pressed the services of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) drivers to search the missing pilgrims.
Officials confirmed that they had recovered three bodies of the missing pilgrims.
Reports said that the pilgrims were enjoying a boat ride in the Saryu near Kachcha ghat. As the river has swollen during the last few days due to heavy rains, their boats capsized because of the fast current.
While the boatman swam safely to the bank and raised an alarm, the other none persons on the boat were swept away by the current. Some locals managed to rescue two of the victims but the remaining seven were feared dead.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief at the death of the pilgrims in Saryu and announced ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
The Chief Minister also directed the Faizabad district authorities to step up efforts to trace the remaining pilgrims who drowned in the boat mishap. He also directed the authorities of all districts of the state to take preventive measures against such incidents.
In a separate incident reported from Pratapgarh, two cousins drowned in a pond in Udaypur area while taking a bath in it, the police said on Wednesday.
Raahil (20) and Ismail (20) slipped into deep waters and drowned while bathing in the pond on Tuesday. Their bodies were fished out with the help of locals and sent for autopsy.