Dhubri tragedy: Locals alerted BSF; Bangla help sought

Personnel of the BSF water wing were carrying out their regular patrol along the riverine stretch of the Indo-Bangaldesh border when a telephone call and a wireless message around 1630 in the evening broke the routine drill of these troopers.

"First it was the locals who alerted us...Then the local police also called our control room. We immediately dispatched six motor boats with about 30 personnel for the spot", Commanding Officer (CO) of the BSF water wing in Dhubri Rajesh Dhandoria told PTI.

Dhandoria, under whose command lies about 50-kilometre of the Indo-Bangla riverine border, has been at the spot with his men since more than 12 hours now.

The BSF, meanwhile, has also alerted the commanders of the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) to keep a check on their side of the water body for both survivors and bodies.

"Initially we tried to gauge the extent of the tragedy when it occured yesterday. After sometime it was established that the boat was a large one and it has broken into two. It is estimated that about 300 people could be onboard..But there is no sure figure about it," the officer said.

The 30-men team quickly deployed their rescue gadgets but they rue the fact that they had to fish out more bodies than survivors.

"My boys did not have anything to eat since over 12 hours...But we kept on with the hope that we may find survivors. We got more bodies instead. Now the Army and civilians are also there. We are planning to change the guard and bring some fresh personnel for rescue work", Dhandoria said even as senior Border Security Force and state administration officials reached the spot.

Rescue teams, with speedboats, were searching the waters this morning amidst torrential rain which was continuing since last night to locate more bodies as the ferry was carrying over 300 passengers when it was caught in a storm and capsized in Dhubri district yesterday.

Over 100 people have drowned in the Brahmaputra River since yesterday in one of the worst boat disasters to have occurred in Assam. PTI NES

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