50 feared drowned as boat capsizes in Ganga

As many as 50 people were feared drowned when a boat carrying them capsized in the Ganga in Ballia district of east UP on Monday.

The incident took place at Ojhwalia Ghat in Haldi area of Ballia, some 300km from Lucknow. While unofficial reports put the toll at 50, official sources confirmed that 34 bodies had been found till Monday evening.

The incident occurred when more than 75 people from four villages were crossing the river to attend a function on the other side, district magistrate Senthil Pandayan C said. “The reason for the tragic incident is being investigated,” he said. Rescue operations were on and a team of divers has reached the site.

Police sources said the people in the boat were going midstream to perform mundan rituals of their children. After the overloaded boat capsized midstream, about 30 people swam ashore or were rescued by the people, additional DG Brij Lal said.

“Over 10 people have been rescued with the help of police and divers. All are undergoing treatment. We fear the death toll will climb up as some are still missing. We are not able to ascertain the exact number of people on the boat as they were from different villages,” deputy inspector general of police Prakash D and divisional commissioner Madhusudan Raizada, after visiting the site, said.

The search was on for survivors, a senior district official involved in the rescue operation said over phone. UP chief minister Mayawati has condoled the deaths and announced a compensation of Rs1 lakh each to the victims’ next of kin. “The boat could only ferry 25-30 people, but was carrying twice its capacity,” police inspector Shobhnath Yadav told reporters.

Ram Sumer, a survivor, said, “The boat’s condition was bad.When the boat flipped over, the boatman, instead of saving us, fled.”
—With agencies inputs