Several Hours after boat capsized in the River
Hours after a boat capsized in the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda, three bodies have been recovered. As many as 13 people have been rescued and 17 people are still missing, said the district magistrate's office on Friday morning.
The incident took place when people were crossing the river to reach Fatehpur.
The PMO took to Twitter and wrote, "The accident in Yamuna River in Banda, Uttar Pradesh is heart-wrenching. I express my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this painful accident. The local administration under the supervision of the state government is actively engaged in relief and rescue work.
On Thursday, after the boat carrying nearly three dozen people, motorcycles and bicycles capsized, at least 20 people went missing and were feared dead. However, as many as 13 people have been rescued so far.
Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Awanish K Awasthi, said, "The boatman has been detained and a rescue operation is still going on. It will continue at night also. As of now, around 20 people have been rescued and 14-15 are missing. 3 bodies were recovered."
The incident that took place around 4 pm brought a pall of gloom in the Marka police station area of the district.
Officials attributed the tragedy to the strong winds and the water current.
On Friday Morning, As the rescue operation continued, more people were rescued by the administration and villagers.
Late Thursday evening, a 30-member National Disaster Response Force team, a 15-member State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), and Pradeshik Armed Constabulary were deployed for the rescue operations.
District Magistrate Anurag Patel, ASP Laxmi Niwas Mishra, and ADM Surabhi joined the search operation that continued till 1:30 am and resumed at 6 am on Friday.
A local resident, Vijay Shankar, said, “Every year, on the day of Rakshabandhan, a fair is held on the banks of the Yamuna River. This fair is called Navi Mela. Several villagers attend it.”
Another resident, Ramu, said, “Due to heavy traffic, around 1,500 people take the water route daily. The construction of a bridge on the Yamuna River in Marka village has been going on since 2011, but it has not been completed yet. The population of Marka village is around 14,000 and there are 10 to 15 villages adjacent to it. There are six boats on the banks of the river, which ferry people."
The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.