At least 13 children below the age of 15 died after a boat carrying around 20 people capsized in Bihar’s Ganga riverPM Narendra Modi and Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary announced financial assistance for the victims’ families as rescue operations continued.
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At least 13 children died after a boat carrying around 20 people capsized in the Ganga river in Bihar’s Vaishali district on Tuesday eveningAll the victims were below 15 years of ageThe accident took place at around 8.30 pm in the area under Raghopur police stationThe boat was carrying people, most of them from Rampur Shyamchand village, who were travelling across the river to attend a feast in another village.
Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh said 13 bodies had been recovered so farThe exact number of people on the boat was not yet clearRescue teams have been searching for people who may still be missingLocal divers are working with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to find survivors and recover bodies from the river.
According to Singh, seven children have been rescued and taken to NMCH hospital in Patna for treatmentTheir condition was reported to be stable.
Additional reports said the boat may have capsized in the middle of the river after losing control, with overcrowding cited by local residents as a possible reasonHowever, officials had not confirmed the exact cause of the accidentReports also differed on the number of passengers rescued and those still missing, as search operations continued.
PM Modi, Bihar CM announce financial assistance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the deaths and described the incident as deeply painfulHe announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the family of each person who died in the accidentThose injured will receive Rs 50,000 each.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary also expressed condolences to the families who lost their childrenHe announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the family of each deceased person.
The announcements came as rescue operations continued and families waited for information about their missing relatives.
Tejashwi Yadav calls for faster rescue work
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, who represents the Raghopur Assembly constituency, said he had spoken to local officials about the incident.
In a video shared on X, Yadav said he had been informed that 14 bodies had been recoveredThis figure was higher than the 13 deaths confirmed by the district magistrate, and the final toll was yet to be established.
Yadav urged the authorities to speed up the rescue operation and said he would visit the area the following day to support the affected families.
The tragedy has left families in the area mourning the loss of young livesRescue teams continued their efforts to locate anyone still missing after the boat capsized in the river.
