Varanasi: Around 18 of the 40 people went missing today after a boat carrying them capsized on the Ganga river at Betawar ghat near Shooltankeshwar area under Rohania police station in Varanasi, police said.
The boat, carrying 40 people who were going to Mirzapur from Varanasi, capsized on the Ganga river due strong flow of water in the afternoon, said Superintendent of Police (rural) Pradeep Gupta.
"Few people onboard the boat knew swimming and they saved others also. Nearly 22 people managed to swim safely out of the river after the boat sank," said Gupta.
The search was on to find the missing 18 people. A team of NDRF personnel, Jal police and divers have been rushed to the spot to find the missing people, the SP said.
Most of the people, onboard the ill-fated boat, were from Mirzapur and were returning from Varanasi after their work, police said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed sadness over the capsizing of a boat in Varanasi. Modi, who represents Varanasi in Lok Sabha prayed for those missing in the incident.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his sadness over the capsizing of a boat in Varanasi district. He prays for those missing in the unfortunate incident," an official statement said here.
PM has expressed his sadness over the capsizing of a boat in Varanasi district. He prays for those missing in the unfortunate incident.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 5, 2014
