Patna, May 28 (IANS): At least three people were killed and four others remain missing after a small boat carrying 14 villagers capsized midstream in the Ganga River at Umanath Ganga Ghat in the Barh subdivision of Patna district on Thursday morning. The victims were travelling towards the Diara region early in the morning to harvest vegetables from fields located across the river when the boat reportedly lost balance and overturned due to strong winds. Local fishermen and boatmen present near the ghat immediately jumped into the river and launched rescue efforts, with seven people rescued safely and brought ashore with assistance from local residents. The administration confirmed the recovery of three bodies from the river, while a large-scale search operation by teams of the State Disaster Response Force along with local divers has been launched to trace the four missing passengers. Officials fear that the strong waves of the Ganga may have swept the missing persons downstream, leading rescuers to widen the search area.
Senior officials from the Barh subdivision rushed to the site soon after receiving information about the incident, with SDO Garima Lohia and SDPO Ram Krishna personally supervising the rescue and relief operations at the ghat. As news of the accident spread, hundreds of anxious residents and relatives gathered along the riverbank, while police and administrative teams began the process of identifying the deceased and completing legal formalities. SDPO Ram Krishna said preliminary findings suggest that overloading and strong winds may have caused the boat to capsize, though the exact cause would become clear only after a detailed investigation. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem at the Barh subdivisional hospital, while survivors are receiving medical assistance and first aid.