Rescue operations after two boats with over 120 people collided and sank in the Brahmaputra river are being continued on Thursday. The incident occurred around 4 pm on Wednesday, roughly 100m from the Nimatighat bank in Assam’s Jorhat district. One woman died, while around 35 people, including women and children, are still missing. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams from Sivasagar are carrying out the rescue operations and Army personnel will also join the operations on Thursday with some advanced machines, Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Ashok Barman said.
“120 passengers were on the boat that capsized. A woman has died. The operation continued throughout the night. It is still underway,” an NDRF official said.
The accident occurred when the private boat ‘Ma Kamala’ was headed to Majuli from Nimati Ghat and ferry ‘Tripkai’, operated by the state’s Inland Water Transport (IWT) Department, was coming from the riverine island.
The 28-year-old teacher passed away in hospital after she was rescued from the river, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) Chief Executive Officer Gyanendra Tripathi said.
Meanwhile, three senior officials of IWT Department have been suspended on the charge of negligence of duty in connection with the accident.
The names of the suspended officers include Bikramaditya Choudhury, in-charge Executive Engineer, IWT, Dibrugarh Division; Mukut Gogoi, in-charge Assistant Executive Engineer, IWT, Jorhat Sub-Division and Ratul Tamuli, Junior Engineer, IWT, Jorhat Sub-Division.
