Bihar Boat Tragedy: 13 Dead, Including 8 Children; NDA Leaders Express Condolences
Rescue Operations Continue in Vaishali; Government Announces Rs 4 Lakh Ex-Gratia for Families of Deceased
Patna: At least 13 people, including eight children, died after a boat capsized in the Ganga in Bihar’s Vaishali district on Tuesday. Rescue operations continued on Wednesday to trace those still missing.
The incident occurred near Rampur Shyamchand village under the Raghopur police station area when passengers travelling to attend a feast reportedly met with the accident. Preliminary reports suggested that 15–20 people were aboard the boat, with several others injured.
Bihar Minister Ram Kripal Yadav expressed condolences and urged Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav to visit his Raghopur constituency to meet the affected families.
BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi termed the incident tragic and said an investigation would examine why the boat was operating at night. He added that action would be taken against those found responsible.
JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan said Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the families of the deceased, along with compensation for the injured.
Meanwhile, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams deployed six boats to continue the search operation, joined by local residents. The damaged boat, reportedly repaired temporarily with plastic sheets, has been recovered.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, including the boat’s condition and its operation at night.
