PATNA — At least 13 children have died after an overcrowded boat capsized in the Ganga River in Bihar’s Vaishali district on Tuesday evening, October 13. Rescue teams continued searching for missing passengers on Wednesday as authorities investigated the cause of the tragedy.
The accident occurred near Rampur Shyamchand village in the Raghopur area at around 8.30 pm. The passengers were reportedly travelling across the river to attend a feast in a neighbouring village when the boat overturned.
According to Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh, 13 people had died and six had been rescued, according to the latest confirmed figures reported by Hindustan Times on Wednesday morning. Most of the victims were minors. The deceased included nine girls and four boys, with their ages ranging from six to 16, the report said.
However, some reports cited a higher death toll claimed by local political leaders. Authorities had not officially confirmed the higher figure in the reports available at the time of publication.
Local divers, police personnel and disaster response teams took part in the search and rescue operation. The rescued passengers were taken to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital in Patna for treatment.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased person. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the tragedy and announced Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for each bereaved family. Those injured will receive Rs 50,000.
The incident has raised concerns about passenger safety on river boats. Preliminary reports suggested that overcrowding may have contributed to the accident, but the exact cause has yet to be established. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Further details about the search operation and the final number of victims are awaited.
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