Steamer gets lost in dense fog on the Ganga, passengers rescued

The vessel from Sahibganj in Jharkhand to Manihari in Bihar’s Katihar district lost its way in thick fog and dropped anchor at a diara (riverine area), 2 km from its destination.

A steamer with more than 100 people on board lost its way in the fog on the Ganga river on Tuesday day night but luckily escaped from any serious mishap .

Rescued passengers on a boat in Bihar’s Manihari. (HT Photo/Ranjit Kumar)

The vessel from Sahibganj in Jharkhand to Manihari in Bihar’s Katihar district lost its way in thick fog and dropped anchor at a diara (riverine area), 2 km from its destination, passengers, who were later rescued, said

Manihari subdivisional officer (SDO) Arun Kumar Singh said about 100 people were on board. “All were rescued with the help of boats and brought to Manihari, 319 km east of state capital Patna,” he said.

“A show cause notice has been served on Sahibganj Cooperative Society, that operates the ferry service, for plying the steamer in dense fog. Further action will be taken after receiving the reply,” the SDO said.

Ranjit Kumar of Manihari said: “The steamer had left Sahibganj at around 5 pm on Tuesday and after half-an-hour it lost its way. Some passengers informed the district administration about it and the Katihar administration promptly launched a rescue operation.”

A steamer had capsized in the Ganga near Manihari in August 1988, killing more than 400 people.

In another incident, three people were injured when a passenger train hit their vehicle at an unmanned railway crossing in west Bihar’s Rohtas district due to poor visibility early Wednesday.

The accident took place as the driver of an SUV, while negotiating the unmanned crossing, could not spot the approaching train. The Sasaram-Patna passenger train hit the vehicle from behind near Sariaon Tola village of the district, 137 km southwest of the state capital, injuring three people, including a newly married woman, who is in a serious condition.

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