32 meet watery grave in Bihar,CM announces compensation

Patna, Aug 31 (UNI) Thirty-two people met a watery grave when the boat ferrying them capsized in the Ganga near Jafrabad Ghat in Vaishali district today.

Giving this information here Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced an inquiry into the accident.

After meeting relatives of the victims at Maroofganj here, Mr Kumar said a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each would be given to the families of the victims.

He said divers had been engaged to retrieve the bodies while divers of Special Auxiliary Police(SAP) had also been called in to expedite the process of searching for possible survivors.

Earlier, District Magistrate Lalan Singh had said in Hajipur that the boat was ferrying 20 people from Maroofganj of Patna district to Jafrabad. It capsized after tilting due to strong current in the river. Five people, he said, had swam to safety.

Senior police and administrative officers were monitoring the rescue operation, he said.

In Patna the chief minister said the state government had instructed concerned officials to ensure that there was no overloading on boats.

UNI RS PL MSJ KN1650