Search Underway for Missing Women After Boat Capsizes in Bihar
Incident Overview
Photo: IANS
Patna, June 10: In a tragic incident, three women have gone missing after a boat, which was transporting farmers, capsized in the Kosi River in the Darbhanga district of Bihar. The accident occurred on Wednesday morning while the farmers were en route to harvest their 'moong' (green gram) crops.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has initiated a thorough search operation to locate the missing individuals.
As per reports, the mishap transpired near the ring embankment at Tarwara Ghat, within the jurisdiction of the Jamalpur police station.
A group of approximately ten farmers, predominantly women, were traveling together in a single boat when it became unsteady due to the strong river currents.
Witnesses recounted that the boat began to fill with water due to the heavy flow, leading to its capsizing shortly after.
Chaos ensued as passengers fought to save themselves in the turbulent waters.
Ravindra Kumar, an SDRF member present at the scene, successfully rescued seven individuals and brought them to safety on the riverbank. Unfortunately, three female farmers, including a teenage girl, were carried away by the current and are still unaccounted for.
The survivors promptly alerted local authorities about the incident.
In the aftermath of the accident, a crowd of villagers gathered along the riverbank as rescue operations commenced.
Biraul Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Shashank Raj and SDPO Prabhakar Tiwari arrived at the location to evaluate the situation and oversee the rescue efforts.
Officials have confirmed that an SDRF team is actively searching for the missing women.
“An SDRF team is currently engaged in locating the missing individuals following the incident report. We are gathering further details and will take necessary actions,” stated SDO Shashank Raj.
This incident has reignited concerns regarding the safety of river transport in Bihar's flood-prone areas.
Interestingly, just a day prior, another boat carrying around 20 farmers capsized in the Kosi River in the Saharsa district, but fortunately, all passengers were rescued by local villagers.