Bhopal, India - At least 38 Hindu pilgrims died and 35 were missing after they were struck by a flash flood while praying on the banks of the Narmada River in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, police said.
Local police chief Swaraj Puri said two bodies had been found on Friday, while the rest had been recovered over the weekend from Dharaji, near Dewas, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Madhya Pradesh's state capital Bhopal.
"Thirty-eight bodies have been recovered so far and 35 people are still reported missing," Suri told AFP on Monday.
Locals said the Narmada rose suddenly on Thursday after state-run National Hydel Development Corporation (NHDC) released water from the Indira Sagar reservoir on the heavily dammed Narmada River.
The NHDC has denied the locals' version of events but could not immediately explain the surge of water, which came despite the fact there has been no rain in the area.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Babulal Gaur ordered a probe into the incident.
"I will present my report within 15 days and the brief includes not just finding out reasons for the tragedy but ways to prevent it in the future," Principal Secretary Arvind Joshi, who is heading the probe, told reporters.
The controversial Narmada Valley project involves the building of 3,000 dams across three states on the Narmada and its tributaries. Hundreds of families have been moved to make way for the dams.
Critics say the human cost and environmental risks far outweigh the proposed benefits.