LUCKNOW: At least 19 people, mostly women, drowned and 25 went missing after their overloaded boat carrying over 60 people capsized in river Yamuna in Baghpat district of western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. Sources said, seven children were also present on the ill-fated boat. There has been no clue about them.
According to Baghpat DM Bhawani Singh, the boat, which was hired privately by the travellers, sank close to Katha village, 20 km from the district headquarters Baghpat. "Most of the people present on the overloaded boat were women. It was ferrying people more than its capacity. As soon as it reached mid-stream it capsized," said the district magistrate.
As the boat capsized, 50-year-old Shimla Devi, somehow, caught hold of her husband Rajbir’s kurta and managed to swim across safely to the river bank as Rajbir knew swimming. But the sight of drowning and screaming children is not letting her have any peace.
While rescue teams including NDRF flood units were immediately rushed to the spot and over 11 persons were saved, police and Provincial Armed Constabulary began rescue operations and fished out 19 bodies till filing of this report. The search to trace others was still on.
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After the incident, the villagers resorted to violence on Delhi-Saharanpur highway protesting against the delayed administrative response to the tragedy. The local villagers went on a rampage, resorting to stone pelting and arson.
In the frenzy, the local mob set a truck and a police vehicle on fire. Critical of those rescued were referred to Meerut while those with minor complications were admitted to district hospital.As the immediate cause of the tragedy was not yet known, the district police sources said that the ill-fated boat was heading towards Haryana when the incident took place. In fact, farmers and labourers from this side of river cross Yamuna on a daily basis to go to their fields on the other side.
However, according to principal secretary, Information, Avnish Awasthi, a magisterial probe was ordered to ascertain the reason for the tragedy.