GUWAHATI: A four-year-old lost his life after a boat carrying 18 people capsized in the Brahmaputra River in Assam’s South Salmara-Mankachar district, close to India-Bangaldesh border, on Sunday evening.
The mishap also left two individuals missing, sparking a desperate search and rescue operation by disaster management authorities and local people alike.
The minor victim, identified as Shamim Hussain, succumbed to the ordeal due to the lack of medical facilities on the sandbar.
Sukhsar police have arranged for the post-mortem examination of the deceased child.
The search continues for the two missing individuals, Kovad Hussain, aged 65, and Ismail Hussain, aged 8.
The Hatshingimari State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has escalated rescue operations in hopes of locating the missing persons and providing relief to the affected families.
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The local authorities, comprising Sukhsar police and the Border Security Force (BSF), have been dispatched to the scene.
The revenue circle officer of Mankachar has also reached the site.
Earlier, authorities were alerted about the boat accident around 5 pm on Sunday.
The small boat, ferrying passengers from Kokradanga to Nepurer Alga, was carrying 18 individuals, including the boatman.
The area, situated close to the Indo-Bangladesh border, consists of several riverine islands, with small boats serving as the primary mode of transport.
Meanwhile, Assam faced adverse weather conditions on Sunday, with heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and hailstorms reported in several parts of the state.
In response to the ongoing challenges, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an “Orange Alert” for the Northeast, forecasting “heavy to very heavy” rainfall over the next five days.
The IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Guwahati issued the alert for Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty winds at speeds of 30-40 km per hour.
