Boat capsize : Toll increases to three

The body of a boat capsize victim was fished out of Brahmaputra river on the third day of the search Friday taking the toll in the toll to three.

The body of an employee of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation was fished out by the river police from Siyalmari area bordering Nalbari district, Kamrup Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kumar Baishya said.

He said that one person was still missing.

Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said yesterday that two bodies had been fished out after the capsize and not three as reported earlier.

Baishya said there were 26 people in the boat but the Inland Water Transport department had given a higher number of passengers on the day of the capzise on Wednesday which led to the confusion.

Search operations were launched by the NDRF, SDRF and army divers. No body was, however, found on Thursday, he said.

Four officials of the Inland Water Transport (IWT) Department were suspended Thursday and plying of mechanized country boats in the river between North Guwahati and Guwahati was suspended for the entire rainy season.