Bihar: 3 men drown after overloaded boat capsizes in flood
What's the story
A tragic incident occurred late Saturday night in Motihari, Bihar, when an overloaded boat capsized in floodwaters. The accident took place at Purwari Tola Sareh around 10:30pm and involved a boat carrying more passengers than its capacity, according to India Today. The incident led to 14 people being thrown into the floodwaters.
Rescue operation
3 men died in incident
Thanks to the quick action of local villagers, 11 people were rescued from the floodwaters. However, three men, identified as Kailash Sahni (50), Mukesh Kumar (25), and Babulal Sahni (45), lost their lives in the incident. Their bodies were recovered on Sunday during a joint effort by police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel who rushed to the spot after being alerted about the accident.
Eyewitness account
Boat became unstable while returning, says villager
Shivlal Sahni, a villager who witnessed the incident, said that the boat had become unstable while returning before it capsized. He added that despite their best efforts, they couldn't save everyone on board. This isn't the first time such a tragedy has struck Bihar. Official data reveals that over 400 people died in similar boat accidents between 2012 and 2021.