National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) personnel try to remove a boat from water while they conduct rescue operations at Lower Lake in Bhopal on September 13, 2019, after boats overturn as they carry people and an idol of Hindu god Lord Ganesha for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Photo: GAGAN NAYAR / AFP

Twelve people drowned in a lake in central India on Friday morning when their boats capsized during a religious ceremony, authorities said.

The boats carrying 20-25 people tipped over in the early hours in Bhopal as they were about to immerse an idol of the Hindu elephant god Ganesha.

“Twelve bodies have been retrieved so far and (the) search is on for one more person,” the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said in a statement.

This week marks the end of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, when colourfully decorated idols of Ganesha are immersed in water.