3 missing as boat carrying flood-hit people capsizes in Assam’s Hojai district
India Today
At least three people went missing after a boat carrying 24 flood-affected people capsized at Raikata in Assam’s Hojai district late on Friday evening.
At least three people went missing after a country made boat carrying 24 flood-affected people capsized at Raikata in Assam’s Hojai district late on Friday evening.
The incident happened when the boat was on its way to a flood relief camp from the inundated Islampur area of the district. The boat capsized in the Kopili river due to the strong currents.
Teams comprising State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Assam police immediately rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations, braving the strong currents of the river.
Talking about the incident, Hojai deputy commissioner Anupam Choudhury told India Today that 21 others have been rescued while three are still missing. Relentless efforts are on by the rescue teams to trace the missing people, he said.
The flood situation in Assam deteriorated further on Friday as incessant rains pounded the state and nine more people lost their lives, including two children. The calamity has affected nearly 19 lakh people in 2,930 villages across 28 districts of the state. A total of 17 people have lost their lives in the current spell of floods this year.
Bajali is the worst-hit district where a total of 3.55 lakh people have been affected due to the flood, followed by Darrang, where over 2.90 lakh people are affected.
Meanwhile, authorities have opened 373 relief camps that are providing shelter to over one lakh people.
