Nineteen bodies have been recovered from the Hooghly river where an overloaded boat, with more than 100 passengers, capsized on Sunday. The boat was crossing from Kalna in Bardhaman district to Shantipur in Nadia district when the incident occurred.
Compensation“So far, we have recovered 19 bodies. We have announced a compensation of Rs. 2 lakh for the families of the deceased,” District Magistrate of Nadia Vijay Bharti told The Hindu on Monday. Among the 19, four of the victims were children. “We have identified 17 victims till now all of whom were from Shantipur,” said Mr. Bharti.
Rescue workers are trying to extract the boat from the mud and sludge. Relatives at the jetty in Shantipur broke down as the bodies were recovered. Many anxious relatives are running from pillar to post to trace the whereabouts of those on board.
Locals are upset at the “sloppy and late” rescue work by the State administration. They alleged that though the accident took place early on Sunday, the rescue work began only after 9 a.m. “Many more lives could have been saved had the administration been more proactive. Proper rescue work started only after the National Disaster Response Force arrived in the afternoon [on Sunday],” locals said.
