Two lakh pilgrims stranded at Gangasagar

Around two lakh pilgrims were on Thursday stranded at Gangasagar island at the Ganga-Bay of Bengal confluence with dense fog and low tide hitting ferry services, police said.
    
Nearly 1.5 lakh pilgrims were stranded on Sagar Island with people thronging the bus stand to board vehicles for the journey back home, police said.
    
With buses racing to carry the pilgrims, there was a collision between two vehicles at the New Bus Stand here but none was injured.
    
Another 50,000 pilgrims were stranded at Kachuberia while waiting to take the ferry across the six km stretch of the Muri Ganga to Lot No: 8 on the other bank to make the onward journey to Kolkata via the Diamond Harbour-Kakdwip Highway (NH117), they said.
    
The entire 30 km stretch from Gangasagar to Kachuberia was chock-a-block with vehicles standing bumper to bumper as traffic came to a standstill on the route, sources said.
     
Steamers could not operate due to the early morning fog and low tides. Lack of dredging of the Muri Ganga had increased siltation hitting ferry services.
     
Authorities were hoping that the services would resume around mid-day with the onset of high tide.