Hajipur, Oct. 14 -- Rescue operations were underway on Wednesday to trace any missing occupants of a boat that capsized in the Ganga river in Bihar's Vaishali district a day ago, resulting in the death of at least 13 children, officials said.
Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh said the toll remained at 13, as no fresh recovery of bodies was made so far. The deceased were all aged below 15 years. The incident occurred around 8.30 pm on Tuesday when residents of Rampur Shyamchand village were on their way to attend a feast in a village across the river, the officials said. "The total number of rescued people is six. Our rescue and relief work is underway," Singh said. The damaged boat, which was carrying over 20 passengers, has been retrieved, SDRF sub-inspector Jai Deep Narayan Singh told reporters.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased. Several political leaders, including former BJP MLA Satish Kumar Yadav and LJP(RV) MLC Ashraf Ansari, visited the spot and expressed condolences to the bereaved families. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who represents the Raghopur assembly constituency, said on X that he spoke to the district administration and was apprised of the situation. Yadav said he would visit the site upon his return from New Delhi, where he went to participate in protests over the SIR exercise. Meanwhile, locals staged a protest in the village, alleging negligence on the part of the administration, and demanded that an FIR be registered against officials concerned.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.