The death toll from a boat accident in eastern India rose to 26 yesterday, a senior official said, warning of more casualties with rescue workers still scouring the waters.
The non-motorized wooden boat, packed beyond capacity with revelers returning from a kite festival, capsized on Saturday in the Ganges River near Patna, the capital of Bihar State.
The exact number of missing could not be ascertained due to the absence of a passenger list, but police said that the boat was carrying at least 40 people.
Photo: AFP
Rescue workers were working round the clock looking for survivors, Bihar State Disaster Management Authority Joint Secretary Anirudh Kumar said.
“Workers pulled out 22 bodies in the night and this morning four more bodies were recovered,” he told reporters by telephone yesterday. “The boat capsized not very far from the shore. Some people managed to swim to safety, but we are fearing the number of dead could go up further.”
Among those to survive the tragedy was an 18-month infant, now recovering in a city hospital, Kumar said.
The revelers were on their way back from the annual Hindu harvest festival of Makar Sakranti, marked by kite-flying and other festivities.
Bihar State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered an inquiry into the accident and announced compensation of 400,000 rupees (US$5,872) for the families of the victims.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the deaths while canceling an event he was scheduled to attend in Patna yesterday.
Boat accidents are common in the country, mainly because of overcrowding, poor maintenance, lax regulations and a lack of life jackets and other safety equipment.
About 20 people died after a ferry capsized in a rain-swollen river in India’s northeastern state of Assam in September 2015.
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