Midnapore boat capsize: Two bodies recovered out of 18 missing passengers

Bodies of two of the 18 missing passengers of the January-3 boat capsize in the Rupnarayan river in East Midnapore district were found floating in the Hooghly river today.

While the body of Sunil Gupta was found floating under the newly-constructed bridge over the Hooghly river at Kolaghat, that of 10-year-old Ajay Saha was found at a place in adjacent Howrah district, East Midnapore district magistrate, CD Lama told reporters here.

The bodies might have drifted from the Rupnarayan to the Hooghly following strong current in the river, Lama said.

The boat was carrying 38 picnickers from Ultadanga in the northern part of the city. While nine were rescued, eleven swam to safety. Sixteen persons, believed to have died, are yet to be traced, the district magistrate said.