At least 22 people drowned on Thursday after a boat carrying 60 capsized in the Yamuna river in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat, District Magistrate Bhawani Singh told PTI. Rescue personnel saved at least 10 others from drowning. Nearly 31 people have been reported missing.
However, there are varying reports on the toll in the accident. Chief Minister Adityanath has announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the victims’ families.
The boat was heading from Katha village in Baghpat district to Sonipat in Haryana. Several villagers said the victims were mostly daily wage labourers who were heading to Haryana to look for work, The Hindu reported.
The boat had the capacity to carry only 35 people, the Hindustan Times reported. A magisterial inquiry will be conducted, said Additional Director General of Police (Meerut) Prashant Kumar.
Eight people have been taken to a hospital in Meerut, and 11 have been admitted to a district hospital. “Most of the passengers of the ill-fated boat were women,the district magistrate told PTI. “As soon as the boat reached mid-stream, it capsized.”
A group of angry villagers protested on the Delhi-Saharanpur Highway, accusing the local administration of delayed response to the boat accident. They vandalised many vehicles.
At least six people, including police officers, were injured after the protesting villagers pelted stones at them. Additional security forces had to be deployed to quell the agitation, the Hindustan Times reported.
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