BOAT CARRYING SAND CAPSIZED, ONE MISSING

BOAT CARRYING SAND CAPSIZED, ONE MISSING

14-OCT-ENG 11

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------A major accident occurred in the Son River early Saturday morning. A boat carrying illegal sand capsized near Goraiya Ghat in Koilwar, and one of the workers on board is feared missing. The accident occurred between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m. when the boat collided with a barrier under the new six-lane bridge.

According to locals, after hearing a loud noise from the river, people rushed out and saw workers trying to swim to shore. There were about a dozen and a half workers on board, most of whom managed to escape safely. However, one worker remains missing. It is reported that he was sleeping in the boat's cabin at the time of the accident and could not escape.

Upon learning of the incident, a large number of locals gathered at the scene. They immediately informed the Koilwar police station. Station House Officer Narottam Chandra and Additional Station House Officer Subhash Kumar Mandal arrived at the scene with police force and inspected the scene. Senior officials were also informed.

On the instructions of senior officials, the SDRF team launched a rescue operation with two motorboats. Divers are continuously searching for the missing worker, but as of the time of writing this report, no trace of him has been found.

Koilwar Police Station Officer Narottam Chandra stated that the accident occurred during illegal sand mining. There is also a suspicion that the boat was overloaded. The search is currently underway, and the police are investigating the matter. Locals say that illegal sand mining in the Son River continues, leading to repeated incidents like this.