At least seven persons, including a two-and-a-half year old baby, drowned and over 25 others went missing when an overcrowded boat capsized in the swollen Rapti River in midwestern Banke district Wednesday afternoon.
The boat carrying some 40 passengers sank near Gobarpur area in Baijapur VDC, some 55 kilometers north-east of Nepalgunj, reports quoting the police said. The boat was heading for Kachanapur from Baijapur.
Rescuers recovered bodies of four women, two girls and a youth from the river while search for other missing people is still going on. Twelve persons saved themselves by swimming ashore while local rescued two girls.
Among the dead, two are identified as 17-year-old girl Hira Thapa and the daughter of Suresh Basnet of Baijapur. Mother of the deceased girl is also missing Two injured have been admitted to Bheri Zonal Hospital for treatment.
Reports quoted survivors as saying boat overloading and flooding in the river resulted in the accident. The boat had a maximum capacity of a dozen persons.
Meanwhile, police said separate teams of Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force have been mobilized for carrying out search & rescue operations in the area
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