Six people were rescued and two went missing after a launch capsized in Ganga river in Malda district of West Bengal on Monday evening, said District Magistrate (DM) Rajarshi Mitra. A search operation is underway.
Malda Zilla Parishad Sabhadhipati Gaur Chandra Mondal visited the ghat at Manikchak near where the incident occurred around 7 pm on Monday. "The Manikchak ghat is maintained by Malda Zilla Parishad. According to the local people, the launch, loaded with eight trucks, came from Rajmahal ghat of Jharkhand. During the time of unloading of the trucks at the Manikchak ghat, the launch capsized in the river Ganga due to some unknown reason. As a result, initially, eight people went missing, along with the eight trucks," Mondal said. The Malda administration has started an enquiry into the cause of the incident, he added.
Malda Zilla Parishad Sabhadhipati Gaur Chandra Mondal visited the ghat at Manikchak where the RORO vessel, which carries vehicles along with passengers, has reached.
A team of the disaster management department has started from Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district to reach Manikchak, Malda District Magistrate Rajarshi Mitra said. The lorries laden with stone chips slid into the Ganga after the RORO vessel run by a Jharkhand-based operator developed some mechanical snag while coming from Sahebganj side to Manikchak, an official statement said.
(Inputs from ANI and PTI)