Agencies/Bhubaneswar
An overloaded passenger boat has capsized in a river in eastern India, leaving 29 people confirmed dead as rescuers searched for others feared missing, an official said yesterday.
Scuba divers aided by rescue helicopters pulled dozens of people from the water after the boat carrying some 100 passengers overturned on Sunday in Odisha, a senior official said.
“We have recovered 29 bodies so far. Search operations will continue because three more persons are still missing,” special relief commissioner P K Mohapatra said.
Survivors and eyewitnesses said the boat was returning from a picnic spot on one side of the Hirakud reservoir and was crossing the Mahanadi river in Sambalpur district.
Passengers panicked after the boat started taking on water when its engine stopped, according to local media.
“People started panicking when water began to flood the boat from numerous leaks. Many jumped out to get into two other boats travelling close by. This led to the accident as the boat lost balance and capsized,” the Indian Express newspaper reported.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered an inquiry and announced an ex-gratia of Rs150,000 to families of the dead. The Odisha government will also bear the cost of the treatment of the survivors.
He also sent Odisha Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya and Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surya Narayan Patro to the affected region to review the situation.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who is in the state on a two-day tour, also took an aerial view of the tragedy site. Gandhi is scheduled to meet the survivors and hold discussions with the local officials.
