On Wednesday, a boat carrying over 120 passengers collided with a ferry steamer and sank in the Brahmaputra river near Nimati Ghat in the Jorhat district. The accident occurred when the private boat ‘Ma Kamala’ was headed to Majuli from Nimati Ghat and ferry ‘Tripkai’, operated by the state’s Inland Water Transport (IWT) Department, was coming from the riverine island.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is present at the spot and the team is cutting through the capsized boat, unfortunately, passengers weren’t found inside the boat. The Army will join the team in rescuing the rest of the passengers.
“120 passengers were on the boat that capsized. A woman has died. The operation continued throughout the night. It is still underway,” an NDRF official said.
The 28-year-old teacher passed away in hospital after she was rescued from the river, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) Chief Executive Officer Gyanendra Tripathi said.
Meanwhile, three senior officials of IWT Department have been suspended on the charge of negligence of duty in connection with the accident.
The names of the suspended officers include Bikramaditya Choudhury, in-charge Executive Engineer, IWT, Dibrugarh Division; Mukut Gogoi, in-charge Assistant Executive Engineer, IWT, Jorhat Sub-Division and Ratul Tamuli, Junior Engineer, IWT, Jorhat Sub-Division.
