HT This Day: November 19, 1948— Greatest boat tragedy ever in Bihar as over 500 feared drowned
Eye-witnesses were unanimously of the opinion that the mad rush on one side of the steamer by the panic-stricken passengers was the immediate cause of the disaster
Patna: Rescue squads scouring the Ganga here until tonight failed to bring back any survivors after the ferry steamer ‘Narayani’ with an estimated 800 pilgrims on board from Sonepur, besides cattle and horses, had capsized a few feet off the river bank this morning drowning at least 500 of them and all the livestock in what is perhaps the biggest boat disaster in the country within the last 50 years.
Eye-witness accounts said that the steamer had almost made for its berthing point along the river bank when it tilted perilously to one side and sank within less than three minutes. Many persons perched on the roof and top deck leapt into the river and most of these swam ashore to safety. This number is not estimated at over 200.
The salvage operations conducted by two large steamers in the afternoon having failed, further operations have been suspended. The exact number of those who lost their lives trapped in the lower deck is not known.
A correspondent who reached the scene of occurrence immediately after the disaster saw only three persons who had been on the upper deck of the steamer swim ashore. These persons were so shaken by the tragedy that they could hardly give any coherent reply when questioned on the extent or cause of the disaster.
An eye-witness said that the steamer was carrying about 800 passengers from the Sonepur fair besides over 200 cattle. Both the decks were packed to the fullest extent and some passengers were found seated on the roof of the steamer. By the time the steamer had entered the Engineering College Ghat, water had entered the lower deck and with the scramble of passengers towards the side of the steamer nearer to the bank more water entered the deck and the boat tilted dangerously and sank in less than three minutes. Many persons who were on the top deck and roof jumped into the river and several swam ashore to safety.
Eye-witnesses were unanimously of the opinion that the mad rush on one side of the steamer by the panic-stricken passengers was the immediate cause of the disaster.
A number of shoes lying abandoned on the roof-top of the steamer bore testimony to the fact that the steamer was packed beyond capacity. It is unlikely that the exact figures of death will ever be known, because of the failure of salvage operations and because there is no authentic record to show how many people boarded the steamer.
Some parts of the upper part of the steamer gave way under pressure of the steel cables when salvage operations were started at midday by the crew of S.S. Venus and S.S. Kidderpore.
The name of the steamer as reported by the official is Narayani, but there is even now some doubt about its identity as some say it is Ambika. Being a private-owned steamer, its tonnage also could not be ascertained.
Over 5,000 people witnessed anxiously from the river bank the salvage operations and the police had to be employed to control the crowd. The Commissioner of Patna Division, the City Superintendent of Police, the Additional District Magistrate of Patna and the Sub-Divisional Officer of Patna Sadar were present throughout the operations which was discontinued at 7 p.m. due to nightfall.
It was reported that the steamer had a normal passenger capacity of 300 only but that it was carrying about 500 more people besides a 100 livestock. Both upper and lower decks were overcrowded beyond capacity. Many people had to fend for themselves on the roof. By the time the ship had neared the bank water had entered the lower deck and the boat started tilting dangerously. As more water was entering passengers stampeded to one side of the deck and they were caught in a death trap by now. The end came in less than three minutes.
Not within living memory had there been such a disaster. The only one comparable to this in casualties is that of the “Ramdas” which sank 16 months are a few miles off Bombay in the Arabian Sea, drowning about 500 people. But this was due to rough weather and the choppy rea.
There was the sinking of the Tukaram in 1927 near Janjira, 45 miles off Bombay but the dead were only 300. There was again the sinking of the Jayanti in the same year off the Bombay coast. The casualties were only 250 in this case. All these three disasters overtook coastal vessels and were more or less due to weather conditions.
Sonepur, across the river from Patna at the junction of the Ganga and Gandak rivers in north-eastern Bihar, had attracted over 200,000 persons this year for the annual Kartika Purnima Fair and many of today’s 500 dead would have offered their last prayers at the temple there of Lord Hariharnath (Lord Shiva) only yesterday.
Although first reports estimated a total of over 500 dead it was officially learnt late tonight that it would be unlikely that the exact figures of casualties would ever be known. These sources said there was no authentic record to show how many people had boarded the steamer and how many were in the lower hold.