Boating tragedy: 5 kids among 8 feared drowned in UP’s Bahraich

Circle Officer (Mihipur) Harshita Tiwari told The Indian Express that 22 residents of Bharthapur village, comprising men, women, and children, had gone to a market in adjoining Lakhimpur Kheri district across the river.

The village is like an island located on one side of the river in Katarniya Ghat Wildlife Sanctuary, she said.

The area is considered difficult to access, and forest officials said wild elephants are often seen in the region.

The officials said the incident site is located within the forest, far from the district headquarters, and communication has been difficult.

Tiwari said the incident occurred around 6:30 pm as people were returning home and had reached close to the village when the boat hit a tree and overturned.

“While there is a strong water current, 13 people were either rescued or swam to the banks,” she said.

The police were informed, and with the help of boatmen and locals, the body of a woman was recovered, the CO added.

Tiwari said that eight, including five children, two men, and a woman are missing. “The divers are still trying to trace them while the SDRF too has reached,” she said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of the incident and has directed senior officers to take the help of the NDRF, according to an official statement.

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