200 feared dead in Assam boat tragedy

Over 200 people were feared dead after a ferry capsized in the Brahmaputra river in Dhubri district, around 250km west of Guwahati, on Monday.

Police said the mishap was caused by a cyclonic storm that lashed lower Assam around 5pm. They said the bodies of 18 persons were retrieved till 8pm.

“Around 300 people were on board the ferry which capsized amidst a cyclonic storm. The ferry was on its way to Hatsingimari from Dhubri’s Puravita ghat,” Dhubri superintendent of police Pradip Saloi told DNA. He added that some people managed to swim ashore.

Dhubri is on the north bank of Brahmaputra while Hatsingimari is on the south bank. The aerial distance between the two places is around 15km.  Hatsingimari is not far off from the Indo-Bangla border. Besides high tides, heavy rains and the inaccessibility of the site of the incident hampered rescue operations, the SP said.