PATNA: At least two people died and five others remain missing after a boat carrying around 14 passengers capsized in the Ganga river near Umanath Ganga Ghat in the Barh subdivision of Patna district on Thursday.
According to eyewitnesses, strong winds are believed to have overturned the boat in the middle of the river. Local residents and nearby boatmen rushed to the scene and rescued several passengers before officials arrived.
“There were approximately 14 to 15 people on the boat. Around seven people are feared drowned. Others were rescued using another boat. So far, it has not been confirmed how many people have drowned,” an eyewitness said.
Barh SDPO Ramakrishna said police were informed about the incident shortly after the boat overturned.
“A small boat overturned due to strong winds. Fourteen people were on board. Seven people are safe, while two bodies have been recovered. Another five people are missing,” he said.
He added that teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were being deployed to the spot and a search-and-rescue operation was underway to trace the missing passengers.
