The Centre has assured all help to Assam government in rescuing people after a boat accident in Jorhat which left one woman dead and four other persons missing. Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the phone and said the central government is continuously monitoring the situation.
The head-on accident between a larger government vessel (which belonged to the state’s inland water transport) and a smaller private ferry occurred around 4pm on Wednesday, roughly 100m from the Nematighat bank in Jorhat district. The boat sank in the Brahmaputra; officials said the water level in the river is high due to monsoon rains.
“120 passengers were on the boat that capsized. A woman has died. The operation continued throughout the night. It is still underway,” an NDRF official said.
The accident occurred when the private boat ‘Ma Kamala’ was headed to Majuli from Nimati Ghat and ferry ‘Tripkai’, operated by the state’s Inland Water Transport (IWT) Department, was coming from the riverine island.
The 28-year-old teacher passed away in hospital after she was rescued from the river, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) Chief Executive Officer Gyanendra Tripathi said.
Meanwhile, three senior officials of IWT Department have been suspended on the charge of negligence of duty in connection with the accident.
The names of the suspended officers include Bikramaditya Choudhury, in-charge Executive Engineer, IWT, Dibrugarh Division; Mukut Gogoi, in-charge Assistant Executive Engineer, IWT, Jorhat Sub-Division and Ratul Tamuli, Junior Engineer, IWT, Jorhat Sub-Division.
