Nimatighat/ Majuli: Efforts are on to find seven people went missing after a boat with over 120 people on board sank in the Brahmaputra river following a collision with another vessel in Assam's Jorhat district on Wednesday. The inland water transport officials are yet to share the details of the missing passengers. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Cabinet Minister Chandramohan Patowary and DGP Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta arrived at the location in the morning.
As many as 82 people survived the tragedy, which has left a 30-year-old woman dead. Another eight people are currently being treated at Jorhat Medical College & Hospital.
The district administration said that hotel rooms have been arranged for those rescued. The capsized boat was cut open by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams early on Thursday. No dead bodies were found in the boat, a senior official said.
There were over 100 passengers, including men, women and children, in the boats, according to local said residents. There were also a few four-wheelers and two-wheelers on the machine boats.
According to Jorhat deputy commissioner, two boats collided at Nimati Ghat at around 4pm on Wednesday with riders on board the boat 'MB Tipkai', moving from Majuli. It capsized after a collision with another boat 'Ma Kamala', that was leaving from Nimatighat, Jorhat. The district administration and police officials said that the police and the disaster management personnel located the capsized boat about 350metres off the riverbank.