Toll in boat capsize incident mounts to 17

The National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) and local divers fished out ten bodies from the river near Dhauri Bhuia ghat, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Dharmesh Kumar Singh said.

Five other persons were missing, he said, adding the rescue and search operation in the river was still going on.

Efforts were on to ascertain the identity of the victims, Singh said.

The mishap occurred yesterday when an overcrowded boat carrying about 35 to 40 people from Dhauri village in Bhojpur district to Masarwa village in neighbouring Arwal district capsized mid-stream, Superintendent of Police (SP) M R Naik said.