5 Feared dead in Arunachal boat mishap

Itanagar, Aug 9 (UNI) At least five people are feared missing and 20 rescued when a boat capsized mid-stream in the turbulent Siang River at Pasighat in East Siang district, police today said. Superintendent of Police S K Jain told UNI that the boat carrying over 20 passengers and two vehicles from Raneghat to Mebo hit a concrete post of an under construction bridge yesterday. The district police along with CRPF and Border Road Task Force (BRTF) personnel swung into rescue operation which continued till evening and rescued twenty people.

The SP informed that the rescue operation resumed this morning and a chopper had been pressed into service to trace those missing. ''We cannot confirm about any death so far as no bodies have been recovered,'' he said adding, the exact number of missing passengers could not be ascertained as the boatmen did not have proper records. The district administration had ordered a magisterial probe into the mishap, the SP added.

Meanwhile, Water Resource Development Minister Tako Dabi along with Public Health Engineering Department Minister Lombo Tayeng air dashed to Pasighat this morning to supervise the rescue operation.

UNI UPB PL/src1109