Palghar/Thane | Two persons drowned and another went missing in two incidents during immersion of Ganesh idols in Wada taluka of Maharashtra's Thane district, the police said on Thursday.

According to the police, Jagat Narayan Mourya (38) and Suraj Prajapati (25) drowned during idol immersion in a lake at Konsai village on Wednesday night.

Firemen and divers launched recovered their bodies on Thursday morning, said an official from the police control room.

At Gorhe village in the taluka, one Prakash Thackeray (35) went missing during immersion of Ganpati idols in a lake on Wednesday and a search is underway to trace him, the police said.

Across Thane district, more than 43,000 Ganesh idols, including 18 installed at public places, were immersed after one and a half days of the 10-day festival, said authorities.

In Thane city alone, 11,910 Ganpati idols were immersed, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of the Disaster Management Cell of the civic body.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Palghar district, 4,500 idols were immersed with much devotion and amid religious fervour. People danced to songs, music and the beating of drums as they made their way to the immersion sites to bid farewell to their favourite elephant-headed God.

Chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya (Lord Ganesha, come back soon next year)” filled the air.