On Thursday, a boat carrying numerous passengers overturned in the Brahmaputra River in Assam’s Dhubri district. Several people were missing, including a government official and schoolchildren. According to locals, the boat had about 100 passengers and 10 motorcycles. An official claimed that the Bhashani-bound boat crashed after colliding with a bridge post at Adabari, around 3 km from Dhubri town. The official said that 15 passengers had been saved so far. There were several schoolchildren on board, but no one has been saved to date, he said.
A land record officer, an office staff member, and Dhubri Circle Officer Sanju Das were also travelling aboard the boat to survey an area affected by erosion. While the two others were able to swim to safety, Das is still missing. Locals used local boats to start a rescue effort. According to a different official in Guwahati, divers from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have also been sent out.
