At least 13 people, all children below 15 years of age, died after their boat capsized in the River Ganga in Bihar's Vaishali. An eyewitness who aided rescue efforts claimed that the incident took place after the vessel broke in the middle of the current.
Ravi Yadav, who rescued several people, said that the tragedy unfolded while the deceased, along with several others, were heading to a nearby village for a feast.
"This incident occurred in Ward No 8 of Rampur Shyamchand Panchayat in Raghopur Block. A 'Shradh' feast was being held in a nearby village, and children were on their way to attend it. While crossing the river by boat, the vessel gave way and sank in the middle of the current. We were all present there. Everyone was rescued with the help of the villagers; we tried our absolute best, but despite our efforts, not everyone could be saved—only two or three survived," he said.
He alleged that the administration arrived about an hour after it was informed. Flagging negligence by the police, Ravi said that the Raghopur CP was informed about the boat's dilapidated condition, but no action was taken.
Speaking about the rescue efforts, Ravi said that they managed to rescue everyone using 'khatiyas' (traditional cots) and ropes to pull them out before taking them to the hospital.
Meanwhile, the NDRF and SDRF teams are on site to aid rescue efforts. Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh rushed to the hospital to coordinate medical assistance.
Earlier on Tuesday night, she said, "We received information that a private boat carrying 15 to 20 children was going to drop them off in a neighbouring village when it capsized. So far, seven people have been rescued and taken to NMCH. They are stable. The bodies rescued here are mostly children. The operation is ongoing. Since there was no prior confirmation about the number of people on board, a large-scale rescue mission had not been undertaken earlier. The NDRF team is present here, and rescue efforts are also being carried out with the help of local boatmen. Further action will be taken as per protocol, with the priority being to save as many lives as possible. There are 13 bodies here. The rescue operation is still underway, and seven people have been sent to NMCH in stable condition."
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Raghopur MLA Tejashwi Yadav expressed grief over the incident and said that 14 people had lost their lives in the incident.
"I am deeply shocked by the heart-wrenching incident of the boat capsizing in Raghopur. May God grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the grieving families to bear this sorrow," he said.
Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary has announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia amount to the next of kin of the deceased, while Rs 2 lakh has been announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who described the incident as 'deeply painful' in his post on X.