Two persons were drowned and five others went missing when a country boat overturned in river Budhi Gandak at Borna village in Khagaria district today, deputy superintendent of police Muralidhar Mishra said.

The boat, carrying around 20 persons, sank due to strong wind while sailing to Borna from the other side of the river, Mishra said. While 12 persons swam to safety, two were drowned, he said.

Local divers were engaged to locate the missing persons, Mishra added. LJP president Ramvilas Paswan in Patna demanded an ex-gratia payment of Rs10 lakh to the families of the victims.