 River Ganges in Patna | |
| Date | 14 January 2017 |
|---|---|
| Time | Around 18:00 (IST)[1] |
| Location | Ganges, Patna, Bihar State, India |
| Cause | Overcrowding |
| Participants | 40+ |
| Deaths | 25 |
On 14 January 2017, a boat carrying more than 40 passengers capsized in the Ganges in the Indian city of Patna, Bihar, killing 25 people.[1][2] The boat was about to reach the bank when it capsized.[3] Overloading is suspected to be the cause of the accident.[2]
The boat was returning from a kite-flying festival on an island called Ganga Diyara in the middle of the Ganges, as part of the Makar Sankranti celebration in the city of Patna.[3][4][5] The small boat, which was overloaded with passengers,[3] was about to reach the bank when it capsized.[3] The boat's capacity was 30 people, but estimates from local officials placed its actual load at 40 to 50.[6]
Rescue operations located 19 bodies on 14 January, and five more on 15 January before they ended once, according to local police, there were no more outstanding missing persons.[6] Nine people were retrieved from the river by rescuers,[5] while about a dozen swam to shore.[6] Eight people were hospitalized[6] at the Patna Medical College and Hospital(PMCH)[5]
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, announced an ex gratia payment from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of those who died in the boat accident and ₹50 thousand for those seriously injured.[1][7] Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also announced that compensation of ₹4 lakh will be given to relatives of each of the dead.[4]
