30 drown as boat capsizes in Ganges
At least 30 people were drowned today after a crowded boat capsized in the rain-swollen Ganges River in the eastern Indian state of Bihar.
“At least 30 people have drowned. Navy divers are searching for the bodies,” said Nitish Kumar, chief minister of Bihar, in the state capital, Patna.
At least 50 people were in the boat when it overturned midstream in the fast-moving river near Malsalami, a northern Patna suburb, he said.
Villagers and the divers dragged nets in parts of the river, but failed to locate any bodies. Seven police stations located along the river have been alerted to be on the lookout for bodies, said B Rajendra, a local district magistrate.
About 20 people, almost all of them men, swam to safety after the boat overturned.
Rajendra said people would have been swept away by the strong current in the river due to recent monsoon rains.
Boat accidents are common in Bihar, one of India’s most impoverished states with poor infrastructure.
Boats are often overcrowded because they are the only means of transportation for residents in many villages along its rivers. The boats rarely have life jackets.
