The disaster management team retrieved eight more bodies from the Ganges on Saturday, a day after an overloaded boat capsized near Manikchak Ghat, taking the death toll to ten. However, five persons are yet to be traced.
Police sources said that rescue operations would continue till all the five bodies are found. But villagers challenged the figures and said that there were more people on board the boat and the exact number can only be confirmed by the boatman. They further alleged that some of the passengers were from Jharkhand and thus the police have no records of them.
Meanwhile, police have arrested the contractor of the bank, Sohardi Sk, but boatman Chintu Sk has gone into hiding. DM G Kiran Kumar said, "We have recovered ten bodies. But according to our records, five persons are still missing." Sources said both the IG of North Bengal as well as the DIG visited the spot to take stock of the rescue work.
Locals said that the arrest of Sohardi Sk, who used to collect money from boats as well as the passengers, has frightened the boatmen and thus there were no services along the ghat on Saturday. If this continues it would not be possible for the villagers to carry on with farming and grazing activities on islands located on the western side of the river.
Sunday 16 June 2013
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Malda-boat-capsize-toll-rises-to-10/articleshow/20610404.cms
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