NEW DELHI 

At least 14 people, most of them students, died Thursday when a boat capsized in the western Indian state of Gujarat, officials said.

According to police, the incident took place when a boat carrying schoolchildren and teachers, during a school picnic, overturned in a lake in the city of Vadodara on Thursday.

Two dozen students and four teachers were on a picnic, a disaster official told Anadolu over phone. He said among the 14 killed were students, while many other students were rescued by authorities.

Bhupendra Patel, the state’s top elected official, said rescue operations are continuing.

He said authorities have been instructed to provide immediate relief and treatment to the victims of the accident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is distressed by the loss of lives in the incident.

“My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. May the injured recover soon,” he wrote on X. “The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected.”