At least three individuals have lost their lives, and four others are unaccounted for following a deadly accident where a boat carrying 14 individuals capsized in the river Ganga near Sultanpur Diara. This location is situated within the jurisdiction of Mohiuddinnagar block of Samastipur district in Bihar.
Thanks to an extensive joint rescue effort that involved the neighboring district administrations, it has been possible to retrieve seven individuals alive. At the moment, emergency teams continue with search and rescue operations to find the remaining missing individuals.
Regular journey for farming activities ends up deadly midway
As per available records, all 14 individuals onboard the sinking boat belong to Masoomganj Bind Toli, which falls under Barh Police Station in the jurisdiction of Patna district. This particular group used the ferry on a regular basis to reach the other side of the river in order to cultivate their agricultural lands.
The incident happened around 5:45 AM on Thursday when this particular batch of individuals had finished collecting the parwal vegetables and was returning back via Umanath Ghat.
Engine breakdown and strong winds cause capsizing
The structural update from the senior officials of the administrative office states that the vessel was struck by an unforeseen mechanical failure as it made its voyage across the river. Garima Lohiya, the Sub-Divisional Officer of Barh, revealed that the unfortunate accident took place when the boat’s engine broke down.
When the engine stopped, the vulnerable and heavily loaded boat found itself amid adverse weather conditions. According to the Patna district administration, strong winds hit the boat in motion and caused the vessel to capsize in the Sultanpur Diara riverine area.
Victim list increases as body count climbs
While the initial recovery of the bodies by the administration put the number of casualties at two people in the morning, search operations yielded one more body in the water.
“We have identified three deaths till now, and four others are missing,” said Mohiuddinnagar Circle Officer Brijesh Kumar Dwivedi. It has been confirmed that the victims are a man, a woman, and two other men whose identities have been established officially by the administration.
Emergency response operation launched at Umanath Ghat
Since this accident took place at a point where the boundaries of both the districts changed, an immediate emergency task force was launched by the district administrations of Patna and Samastipur. The senior officers from the district, who include the Barh SDO and the Deputy Superintendent of Police, are continuously present at the river side, supervising the ongoing rescue operation.
The news of the capsized ship reached everyone in the region, and now many locals have started gathering at Umanath Ghat in order to help identify the bodies that have been pulled out from the river.
Bureau Report
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