At least 10 people have died and 20 others are missing after a country-made boat capsized in the Ganga river near Rampur Shyamchand village in Bihar’s Vaishali district on Tuesday evening.
Raghopur Block Development Officer Seema Kumari confirmed the incident. Mohiuddin Nagar circle officer Brijesh Kumar Dwivedi confirmed three deaths, saying the deceased included two men and one woman. The boat was ferrying passengers between hamlets along the river when it overturned in the Raghopur police station area. Some passengers managed to swim to safety, while others drowned. Local residents rushed to help and alerted the administration after witnessing the incident. Rescue teams, including personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), are searching the river for missing passengers. However, darkness and deep water have hampered rescue efforts. The passengers, all residents of Bind Toli in Masoomganj under Patna district’s Barh police station area, had travelled to Sultanpur Diara for agricultural work. They were returning to Umanath Ghat with vegetables harvested from parwal fields when the boat overturned. Officials have established the identities of all three victims. The passengers regularly crossed the river to work in agricultural fields. Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with the Patna and Samastipur district administrations, took part in the operation. As news of the accident spread, local residents and relatives gathered at Umanath Ghat. Authorities continued the search for the missing passengers and carried out procedures related to the recovered bodies.
Around 25 to 30 people were reportedly aboard the medium-sized boat, most of them travelling to attend a feast organised as part of Hindu Shraddh rituals following a person’s death. Earlier this year, at least three people died and four went missing after a boat carrying 14 passengers capsized in the Ganga near Sultanpur Diara in Bihar’s Samastipur district in May. The Patna district administration said the boat departed from Bind Toli around 5.45 am with 14 people on board.
Officials said an imbalance caused the vessel to capsize, though the exact circumstances of the accident remain unclear. A senior police official said the boat had been carrying passengers from one riverbank settlement to another. Seven passengers were rescued safely, officials said. An initial update from the administration said seven people had been rescued, two bodies recovered and five passengers were missing. Officials cited strong winds as a possible cause of the accident, while Barh sub-divisional officer Garima Lohiya said the boat’s engine failed midstream.
