29 feared drowned in two boat tragedies in Bihar

Patna, Jul 23 (UNI) At least 29 people were feared drowned in two separate boat mishaps in Bihar today.

Reports reaching here from Purnea said 23 people were feared drowned in the Kosi after their boat capsized midstream in the swollen river, while six others went missing in another boat tragedy in the Tiljua river in neighbouring Supaul district in north Bihar.

Purnia District Magistrate Shridhar said in the first incident said the ill-fated countrymade boat carrying 40 people was caught in the strong current of the river Kosi and soon capsized.

While 17 people swam to safety, the trace of 23 others could not be found.

However, later eight bodies could be fished out from the downstream of the river.

Search for the remaininig 15 was still on.

The DM, who was still camping at the site at Kasighart to monitor the rescue operation, had pressed into service a number of divers for the search operation.

In the second mishap, six people were feared drowned when another overcrowded boat ferrying nearly 25 people capsized midstream in the river Tiljua in Supoul district.

While 19 passengers could swim ashore, six others, including two, women went missing, the sources said adding the accident took place when the boat was on its way to Nirmali from Mahusa ghat.

Though a number of divers had been deployed to trace the missing passengers, the onset of darkness had stopped the rescue operation.

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