18 drowned as boat capsizes in Sunderban river

Agencies

Kolkata, 31 October 2010: At least 18 people were feared drowned and several others went missing on Saturday after a boat capsized in the Buriganga river in West Bengal. The vessel, carrying around 150 people, capsized in a river in the Sunderbans mangrove forest, 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Kolkata.

 

The victims were mainly farmers and fishermen and were returning from a Muslim religious festival when the accident occurred. "They were returning from a festival. There were eight vessels and one of them capsized. It happened in the northern part of the river. Then we tried to confirm whether it was part of our jurisdiction or not and we found that it was not.

 

The whole boat capsized and there were approximately 150 people on the boat. We are trying to rescue the people," said Archana Meena, District Magistrate of adjacent East Midnapore district. Indian coastguard and navy personnel dived into the cold waters to search for victims of the accident, which took place as the overcrowded vessel met strong waves.

 

The boat was designed to carry just 60 passengers, but was badly overloaded. Boats are a common means of transport in India but are often overloaded, leading to frequent accidents. Earlier this year, at least 29 people drowned after a boat capsized in a river in West Bengal.