Fifty feared dead after boat capsizes in India

September 30, 2009

Fifty people are feared to have drowned after a boat capsized in the Bagmati, an Indian river, on Tuesday, according to the government.

75 people, mainly women and children, were aboard the vessel when it flipped over during a storm. They had been returning from a fair that marked the end of the Durga Puja, an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the worship of the Hindu goddess Durga.

Fifteen people were able to swim to safety, but it is unlikely the other passengers of the boat were able to survive, according to a report.

An official from the district where the accident occurred said that "we have recovered 11 bodies so far and search is on for 40 other missing people. But their survival chances look very thin."

A search operation was launched by the Indian National Disaster Response Force, but efforts were hampered by nightfall.