GUWAHATI: Nearly ten people were reported missing after a mechanised boat sank in the Brahmaputra in Assam’s Dhubri district on Thursday.
Official sources said the mishap was caused by the boat’s collision with a post underwater. The incident occurred at around 10:30 am near the riverbank. Several people, including women and schoolchildren, were rescued by the locals while some managed to swim to safety. Some of them were injured and admitted to a hospital.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said altogether 29 people were in the boat. However, locals claimed there were more than 50 people.
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Circle Officer Sanju Das was among those missing. He was returning along with a Lat Mondal (revenue official) and an ASDMA field officer, after inspecting an erosion-affected area.
“The boat hit a post inside the river and sank. Locals and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) personnel rescued many people but 9-10 others, including the Circle Officer, are missing,” the ASDMA said in a statement.
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It added that the rescue operation was on and additional support with deep sea divers from the SDRF was deputed to the site. The rescuers recovered the boat and some two-wheelers which were in it.
“Some people are missing and the rescue operation is on. I pray to god for the safety of each one of them. It is a country boat meant for ferrying cargo. I don’t know why the Circle Officer was in it,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Congress said it would send a delegation to the site on Friday. The team will also meet the senior officials of the administration and demand an investigation, the party said.