Patna: Two teenaged girls went missing after a small country boat overturned in Ganga river in Dilarpur panchayat area under Manihari subdivision of Katihar district on Sunday. Police and state disaster response force (SDRF) have started a rescue operation.
According to the police, there were 12 people, including women and children, from village Hatkola in the boat, which had a capacity of carrying just six. As the boat capsized, all but the two minor girls, managed to swim to shore.
Manihari subdivisional officer Kumar Siddharth said the girls have been identified as Lovely Kumari (14), daughter of Munni Lal Mandal, and Shiwani Kumari (15), daughter of Bheem Mandal. “The villagers were going to diara in the boat, which lost control and capsized near Kewla ghat. Local residents managed to rescue four people immediately. The rest managed to swim to safety, while the girls were swept away in the strong river current.”
Manihari station house officer (SHO) Pankaj Anand said that the rescue operation had to be halted for the day due to bad light. “It will resume on Monday morning.”
He added the boat had a capacity of six people, but there were 12 in it. “There is agricultural land on the other side of the river. The villagers used to cross the river on a daily basis to pluck fresh vegetables for selling in the market,” said the SHO.