- Boat carrying 21 labourers overturned on the Ganga near Raghopur embankment in Bhagalpur
- Workers were engaged in anti-erosion work with sandbags when the boat flipped
- SDRF rescued 19 workers; search continues for two missing labourers
A boat carrying 21 labourers overturned on the Ganga River near the Raghopur embankment in Bihar's Bhagalpur district on Wednesday. The workers were involved in anti-erosion work at the time, and the boat was loaded with sandbags meant to help prevent riverbank erosion.
Officials say the boat overturned after the river's current shifted suddenly, throwing it off balance. A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team responded quickly and managed to rescue 19 of the workers safely. A search is continuing for the two labourers who remain missing.
"Of the 21 people on board, 19 have been rescued. The SDRF team is continuing the search operation to trace the remaining two labourers," District Magistrate Alankrita Pandey told news agency PTI.
Footage of the incident has since surfaced online. It shows a wooden boat, packed with labourers and piled high with white geobags, struggling to stay steady on the rough waters of the Ganga. Waves keep washing over the side of the boat as it fights to hold its balance in the fast-flowing river.
At one point, the boat tips sharply to one side, letting water pour onto the deck. Moments later, it flips completely, sending the workers sliding off the hull and into the river.
Once the boat goes under, around 20 workers can be seen in the water together, swimming through the current.
The boat belonged to the Water Resources Department (WRD) and capsized at around 2.30 pm while labourers were working on rebuilding the Kajikoraiya-Raghopur embankment. The repair work came just two days after a breach had been reported at the same embankment.
District Magistrate Alankrita Pandey told PTI that a vortex had formed in the river, which caused the boat to overturn. She added that there appeared to have been "negligence" in following the guidelines set by the district administration.
Pandey confirmed that an FIR would be filed against the contractor or vendor responsible. "An FIR will be registered against the contractor or vendor concerned," she said.
Following the incident, the use of boats to drop geobags along the embankment has been suspended for now. Tractors are being used in their place while officials review the situation.
"The WRD team will decide the further course of action after the engineer-in-chief provides technical details and his opinion. In the meantime, engineers have been instructed to speed up the flood-fighting work," Pandey said.
