A boat with over 50 passengers overturned in the Ganga near Bihar's Bhagalpur district, killing a 40-year-old woman on 5 November. The incident occurred at around 10.30 am on Thursday according to officials who fear that at least 7 others may have drowned. There were efforts by State Disaster Relief Force and local divers to find the missing people.
The remaining passengers who were on the boat either swam to safety or were helped by the rescue team.
At least 50 to 60 passengers, mostly labourers and farmers from Tintanga Karari village in Gopalpur block ,were onboard. They had set out for their works in their fields across the Ganga in the Diara region. “A little ahead of the Tintanga Ghat, the boat was swept by a strong current," Mani Paswan, the Gopalpur police station in-charge, told IANS.
A team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force were deployed and with the support of district officials and local divers, rescue operations were underway to look for those missing.
“The Immediate help by other villagers saved many lives,” said a police officer to HT.
(With inputs from IANS and Hindustan Times)
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