3 dead, several injured as boat capsizes in UP

Three women drowned and several others were injured when a boat carrying over 30 passengers capsized in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district. The boat's engine had developed a technical snag. The boatman is absconding, and an inquiry has been launched.

Three women drowned while several others sustained injuries on Monday after a boat ferrying over 30 passengers capsized near Maldepur Ghat in Phephana area of Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district, police said. The incident took place after the boat’s engine developed a technical snag, said the police.

Rescue operation underway after a boat capsized at Maldepur Ganga Ghat, in Ballia. (PTI)

Ballia district magistrate Ravindra Kumar confirmed the three deaths. An inquiry has been launched into the incident and the boatman is absconding, said Kumar.

Bodies of all three victims have been recovered, said a police official. The victims have been identified as Indravati Devi (60), Gangotri Devi (55), and one other woman , whose identity is being ascertained, added the official.

“The people were going across the river in the boat for a ritual when its engine developed a snag and it overturned due to strong winds,” the district magistrate was reported as saying by news agency PTI.

Following the incident, the passengers were rescued with the help of local residents and police personnel. Subsequently, the passengers were rushed to the government hospital, where the three women were declared dead, said the official quoted above. Among the rescued passengers, eight women are undergoing treatment, said police.

A rescue operation is underway to ensure that no passenger is left under the boat, said the police.