40 feared dead as boat capsizes in India

LUCKNOW: At least 25 people drowned and 17 others were missing after their boat capsized on Monday during a prayer ceremony on the river Ganges in northern India, officials said.

The vessel, with about 60 people on board, turned over in the fast-flowing water, Brij Lal, the senior supervising police officer told AFP from Uttar Pradesh state capital Lucknow.

“Rescuers have found 25 bodies and 17 people are also missing. We are still searching but we have very little hope of finding anyone else alive,” Lal told AFP.

He said that among the dead were nine women, nine men and seven children.

The accident occurred in Ballia district, 250 miles (400 kilometres) southeast of Lucknow when families hired the boat to perform a religious ceremony on the river, which is sacred to Hindus.

Lal said 17 people managed to swim to safety, and that four children were among the missing.

“The tragedy apparently occurred on account of overloading of the boat, which did not have the capacity to carry more than 25 persons,” he said.

Fatal boat accidents are common in India, mainly caused by overcrowding, poor maintenance of vessels and a lack of life jackets and other safety equipment.

Rescue efforts were underway to find the missing people, many of whom may have been swept far downriver.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2010.