Nine devotees feared drowned as boat capsizes in Beas

Nine devotees belonging to village Munda in the district were feared drowned while eight others were rescued when the boat carrying them capsized in the turbulent Beas river.
The Sikh devotees were crossing the swollen river to take part in a religious fair in Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala.
The boat was ferrying 17 people when it sank in the river, Kapurthala SSP, Inderbir Singh said, adding eight of them swam to safety.
He said among those feared drowned were eight youth, all aged between 13-22 years and an old man of 70.
After the incident, Commissioner Jalandhar Division R Venkatraman and Deputy Commissioner Tarn-Taran Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal and Deputy Commissioner Kapurthala D S Managat along with the rescue team reached the spot.

Various rescue teams including divers of Punjab Armed Forces and National Disaster Response Force from Bathinda were pressed into service.
Boats are the only mode of transport in some areas and the inhabitants of surroundings villages take boat service to pay obeisance at the Sultanpur Lodhi Gurdwara and the ill-fated boat got trapped today in the turbulent water of the river and sank, an official said.