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Assam: 1 dead, four missing as boats collide on Brahmaputra river
The boats carried passengers between Kamalabari in Majuli district and Nematighat but the services are not strictly regulated.
Two passenger boats collided on the Brahmaputra river in Assam on Wednesday afternoon, leaving at least one person dead and around four others missing.
Officials said the head-on accident between a larger government vessel and a smaller private ferry occurred around 4pm, roughly 100m from the Nematighat bank in Jorhat district. The smaller boat, Ma Kamala, carrying roughly 70 passengers, capsized almost immediately.
“Till 10 pm, six hours after the incident, we have been able to rescue 43 passengers of the capsized boat. One of the rescued persons was declared dead later at hospital,” said GD Tripathi, CEO of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
Initial reports had estimated more than 50 people missing amid fears of a high death toll, but as the evening progressed, officials rescued many passengers and some were able to swim to the bank because the accident happened near the jetty.
“The capsized boat was carrying around 67-68 passengers. Apart from the 43 rescued, 21 other passengers have been contact traced. There’s confirmation of four persons from Majuli missing. So, there should be around 4-6 passengers who are still unaccounted for,” he added.
The boats carried passengers between Kamalabari in Majuli district and Nematighat but the services are not strictly regulated. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries are in spate due to recent showers and floods and rescue efforts are being hurt due to high water levels and strong currents, officials said.
“Saddened by the boat accident in Assam. All possible efforts are being made to rescue the passengers. I pray for everyone’s safety and well being,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
Tripathi said rescuers would continue searching for survivors through the night. Directives have been issued to districts located downstream to increase patrol along the banks or keep a lookout for missing passengers.
Officials said the collision occurred near the jetty when Ma Kamala, on which passengers were boarding at Nematighat, attempted to give way to the bigger boat, which belonged to the state’s inland water transport department and named Tipkai, that was coming from Kamalabari. ASDMA officials at Jorhat said the capsized boat was also carrying around two dozen two-wheelers. Ferry services between Nematighat and Kamalabari had been suspended for five days last week due to rising water levels of the Brahmaputra.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed deep concern and directed the district administrations of Majuli and Jorhat to undertake rescue mission expeditiously with the help of the national and state disaster response forces.
“I am personally supervising the rescue operations and our officials are on the ground to ensure expeditious completion. All the injured are being diligently attended to,” he tweeted.
Two cabinet ministers, Chandra Mohan Patowary and Bimal Borah, rushed to the spot. Sarma said he will visit Majuli on Thursday to evaluate the situation.
