Bihar: 11 dead, dozen still missing after boats capsize in Khagaria and Saharsa

PATNA: At least 11 persons including a 3-year-old male child were dead and around a dozen of persons were still missing in two separate boat accidents which took place in Khagaria and Saharsa districts on Tuesday evening.
While body of the child was fished out on Tuesday night in Saharsa, rest 10 bodies were fished out on Wednesday morning in both accidents.
Police said that both boats capsized after losing balance after leaving the banks due to strong winds resulted by storm. Search and rescue teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were pressed into action at both places after accidents.
In Khagaria, the motorised boat had started from ghat number five in Ekaniya under Mansi police station area and was going to Teekarampur under Mufassil police station area of Munger district.
Mansi police station SHO Deepak Kumar said the boat lost balance after reaching in the middle of the stream in swollen Ganga due to strong winds.
“The incident took place at around 6pm. Ten people managed to swim to safety but rest went missing,” he.
SHO Kumar said bodies of eight passengers were fished out on Wednesday morning.
“All the bodies had been sent to Khagaria sadar hospital for conducting post mortem. The exact spot where boat capsized is near Bheemtola which falls under Mufassil police station area in Munger district,” he said.
SHO said that at least eight to ten persons were still reported missing and SDRF teams were at spot. “Continuous search operations were going on,” he said.
SHO said deceased persons were mostly from Ekania, Englishtola and neighbouring area in Khagaria.
Meanwhile in Saharsa, a country made boat capsized in a seasonal rivulet at Sahuria village under Chiraiyya police outpost of Salkhua police station area at around 5.30pm on Tuesday.
Chiraiyya outpost in-charge Birendra Sah said body of one three year old male child identified as Prem was fished on Tuesday night.
“Two more bodies were fished out on Wednesday morning. They were of Prem’s father Sanjeet Kumar Chaudhary (40) and a 15 year old girl named Shobha Kumari,” he said.
He said that search is on to find Sanjeet’s wife Rajni devi (36) and one four month old male infant Shivam whose mother had survived.
“Both of them are reported missing after the incident. Police believes they were also drowned,” he said.
Sah said that nine people were able to swim to safety after the boat capsized. “The boat was going to Sauri tola from Chiraiyya by crossing rivulet which only had seven to eight feet deep water with help of long bamboo,” he said adding strong winds before a storm resulted in capsizing of the boat.