3 kids drown in Malda after boat capsize

Malda: Three children — Dhiraj Mandal (11), Juli Mandal (6) and Premkumar Mandal (4) — drowned on Tuesday when a boat capsized after a group of villagers went to watch idol immersion at Baishnabnagar. This is the second such incident in five days. At Malda’s Chanchal on October 3, six persons were officially declared dead, though locals had alleged the toll would be much higher.After the Baishnabnagar incident, the official toll in both capsizes is 9.
On Tuesday, villagers from Mandalpara had gone to Mahendrapur to watch idol immersion. Their boat — supplied by the administration — had space for 40-odd passengers. While returning, it lost balance and the passengers fell into the river. Baishnabnagar police station inspector-in-charge Sanjoy Biswas said: “The children’s bodies were recovered around 8.30pm and the search operation is on.”