24 Dead As Boat Carrying 40 Passengers Sinks In Ganga

Patna: 24 people have died after a boat carrying 40 people capsized in the Ganga river near Patna on Saturday evening.

The bodies of four more persons were recovered on Sunday morning from the river Ganga. When asked whether there could be more bodies lying in the river, Principal Secretary (Disaster Management) Pratyaya Amrit said hopes were fading, but rescue works by the SDRF/NDRF teams were still going on. The revellers were returning to Ranighat in Patna from Sabalpur diara (riverine area) across the river after watching a kite festival on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti'. The boat had been retrieved from the Ganga, the senior official said adding it was intact in one piece.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe into the incident. The injured are being treated at the Patna Medical College and Hospital. According to some eyewitnesses, the boat that capsized was overcrowded and was returning from a kite flying festival. The kite flying festival was organised as part of Makar Sankranti by the state tourism department. The incident ook place around 6 p.m., when it had turned dark. Six of the eight people rescued were pulled out from the river by the National Disaster Response Force. A team of NDRF has been deployed for the rescue operations. Patna district magistrate Sanjay Agarwal and district police officials are camping at the site.

PM Announces Ex-gratia Of Rs 2 Lakh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in Patna boat tragedy from the PM National Relief Fund. Those seriously injured will be given Rs 50,000 each, the PMO said.

While condoling loss of lives, the PM has postponed his programme scheduled for Sunday in Patna. "PM expressed grief on the loss of lives caused by the boat tragedy in Bihar. He extended condolences to the bereaved families," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. In the wake of the tragedy, a programme to mark the start of redevelopment work of Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Patna which he was to address today via video conferencing was also postponed, the PMO said.