At least 19 people, nine of them college students, were feared drowned as a boat capsized in Sai river which flows through Pratapgarh district of eastern Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.
The boat, which was carrying 36 people and was overloaded, overturned midstream near Pirupur Ghat under Antu police station. A teenager Santosh was operating the boat, which was old.
Reports said while 17 people, 10 of them students of Paharpur inter college and Lalganj intermediate college, were rescued by villagers and divers, 19 were missing and feared drowned. Among them are nine college students.
The boat was on way from Pirupur Ghat to Sagra Sunderpur under Lalganj police station on the other bank of the river. Senior officials, including Pratapgarh district magistrate Senthil Pandeyan C and SP Hari Ram Sharma, rushed to the spot to supervise rescue and search operations. Professional divers have been summoned from Allahabad to search for the missing persons, the district magistrate said.
Officials were at the spot at the time of the filing of the report as well.
{{/usCountry}}Officials were at the spot at the time of the filing of the report as well.
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