At least 15 people died after being electrocuted while protesting the earlier death of another person by electric shock at a government river project in India, officials and reports said Thursday.

11 others were injured in the accident in the Chamoli district of the northern state of Uttarakhand.

The caretaker of the project site died on Tuesday night, and his body was found by his family on Wednesday, sparking protests.

When a crowd gathered, 15 others were then electrocuted, officials said.

The Hindustan Times newspaper reported the caretaker died after touching a railing, and the others died subsequently due to the same reason.

The Indian Express newspaper on Thursday reported several people also suffered "serious burn injuries".

Uttarakhand's chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called the incident "heartbreaking".

Chamoli's top district official Himanshu Khurana told AFP on Wednesday that an inquiry was under way into the cause of the accident, with the dead including at least four security officers.

India has been battered by heavy rains in the past few days, with scores killed in floods and landslides.