Death toll from Assam tragedy crosses 100, likely to rise further

In one of the worst boat tragedies in Assam, 100 people, including women and children are feared to have drowned with at least another 200 missing when a packed steamer carrying over 300 passengers sank in the Brahmaputra river after being caught in a severe storm midstream in the Dhubri district of Assam on Monday. Officials have said that the toll could rise further, even as rescue efforts continue.

Deputy Commissioner Kumud Chandra Kalita said the bodies of 100 victims were recovered by the BSF and the National Disaster Force personnel near Jaleswar.  He said that about 25 people managed to swim to safety. The bodies of the victims have been taken to the Dhubri civil hospital.

The overcrowded ferry was carrying a passenger load of over 300 people - mainly local farmers and their families - when it tipped over in a storm on a one-km (half-mile)-wide stretch of the Brahmaputra river in a remote region of the state, close to China and Bangladesh, police said.

“Our rescue efforts have been hampered by bad weather, it is still raining heavily and there is almost zero visibility in the area,” P.C. Saloi, a police officer at the scene, told Reuters. Rescue operations were called off late at night and were set to begin again at sun up.

Eyewitnesses told police the vessel was old and broke in two after capsizing in the swollen river, one of Asia’s largest. Smaller boats often get into trouble on the river, but the ferry was the largest to sink in recent years.

The accident site falls in the district’s Fakirganj police station adjoining the international border with Bangladesh.

The ferry reportedly broke into two parts due to overcrowding and hostile weather conditions. The boat was going to Hatsinghimari from Dhubri town.

The Assam government has sought help from the Border Security Force for rescue operations but darkness and bad weather are hampering the efforts.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called state Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to convey his condolences and express solidarity with the victims.

The prime minister also assured of all possible assistance in relief work and to the families of the deceased.

With inputs from Agencies