4-year-old boy dies, 2 missing as boat capsizes in Assam

The boat carrying 15 people capsized in the Brahmaputra river in Assam’s South Salmara-Mankachar district.

A four-year-old boy died and two people went missing after a boat carrying 15 people capsized in the Brahmaputra river in Assam’s South Salmara-Mankachar district.

A four-year-old boy died and two people went missing after a boat carrying 15 people capsized in the Brahmaputra river in Assam’s South Salmara-Mankachar district on Sunday evening.

Disaster management authorities in the district were alerted about the boat accident at around 5 pm on Sunday. The small boat, which carried 15 people, including the boatman, was ferrying passengers from Kokradanga to Nepurer Alga. The area, close to the Indo-Bangladesh border, comprises several riverine islands, and small boats are the primary mode of transport from one point to another.

According to Requibus Zahan, an Assam State Disaster Management Authority official in South Salmara-Mankachar district, the boy’s body was recovered on Sunday itself, but two others, including a child, were still missing.

“As of Monday morning, the rescue operations are ongoing, and rescue teams from Mankachar, Dhubri, and Hatsingimari are all at the site. A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Guwahati is on its way, and a drone is also being brought for the rescue operation,” he said.

While large parts of Assam experienced heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and hailstorms on Sunday, Zaman said the South Salmara-Mankachar district did not experience inclement weather conditions.

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