Assam boat accident: Search operations resume for 2 missing passengers

Around 4pm on Wednesday, two boats collided and the smaller one of the two capsized around 100 metres away from the Nematighat bank between Kamalabari in Majuli district and Nematighat in Jorhat district

Published on: Sep 9, 2021, 09:24:44 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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Teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) began operations on Thursday morning to trace the two missing passengers of the capsized boat, which collided with a larger boat a day earlier on the Brahmaputra river in Assam.

People rescued from a capsized ferry in the Brahmaputra river resting near Nimati Ghat, in Jorhat in Assam, Wednesday. (AP)

Officials said that as per new information available till 8.30am on Thursday, the capsized boat had 87 passengers. Initially it was suspected that the boat was carrying over 100 passengers.

“Of the total passengers, one woman who was rescued died later in hospital, 84 others have been rescued or accounted for and two others are missing. Rescue operations, which continued till late Wednesday night have resumed again on Thursday morning,” Ashok Kumar Barman, deputy commissioner, Jorhat, said.

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Around 4pm on Wednesday, two boats collided and the smaller one of the two capsized around 100 metres away from the Nematighat bank between Kamalabari in Majuli district and Nematighat in Jorhat district.

The deceased passenger has been identified as Parimita Das, a resident of Guwahati who was working as a lecturer at a college in Majuli. The two missing persons are Jaan Baruah, a resident of Lakhimpur, and Dr Bikramjit Baruah, a resident of Jorhat.

“We started our rescue operations from 6.00am on Thursday. At present, four NDRF teams are involved in the search for the two missing persons,” informed Hari Ram Yadav, assistant commandant, 1st battalion, NDRF, Assam.

“On Wednesday night, we located the capsized boat, which was found several kilometers downstream. Our team cut a portion of the overturned boat to look for missing persons, but no one was found there,” he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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