Morigaon, Apr 6 — Three people remained missing after a small country boat capsized in the Brahmaputra near Borchapori Ghat in the Moirabari area on Monday. Nineteen passengers were on board when the vessel overturned; initial reports say 16 managed to swim to safety and were rescued, while three had not been traced as of filing this report.
Officials said strong winds reportedly destabilised the boat midstream, causing it to overturn. Passengers were crossing the river to cut grass when the accident occurred, according to local accounts.
Search and rescue teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and personnel from the nearest local police station were deployed immediately. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams later joined the operation to expand the search along the river.
“We were informed that at Borchapori Ghat, a boat with 19 people on board had met with an accident. When we reached, 16 had already swum safely to the bank. Three are missing. We are conducting search and rescue operations,” NDRF official Mridul Rudra Paul said.
The overturned vessel was a small country boat locally known as a tulunga nao, commonly used by residents for daily travel and work on the river. Paul noted that other boats in the area use safety gear, “but this one didn’t,” increasing the risk to its passengers.
Locals gathered along the bank as rescue work continued through the day, with some residents assisting teams. Borchapori Ghat is a key ferry point on the Brahmaputra, linking several villages in the Laharighat block, and the incident underscores ongoing safety concerns for small river crossings.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/three-missing-as-boat-capsizes-in-morigaon-rescue-operations-underway-1610300
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Publish Date: 2026-04-06 20:17:00
