Barpeta boat capsize: NDRF rescue from Jan 28; six, including children, missing

Guwahati, Jan 27: A motorised passenger boat capsized in the Brahmaputra River in Assam’s Barpeta district on Tuesday, leaving at least six people feared missing.

The incident occurred when the vessel, carrying daily commuters from Rahampur to Borghul, suddenly overturned midstream, triggering frantic rescue efforts.

Local fishermen rushed in to assist as rescue operations were launched almost immediately, but several passengers remain untraced as the time of filing this report.

Officials confirmed that those feared missing include four children, all residents of Goroimari. They have been identified as Julufa Yasmin, Arian Ali, Amina Khatun, Rahul Ali, Sukurjan Nessa and Madhu Mia.

“Three IRB boats along with the SDRF are continuing rescue operations. It has been over three hours now. All the six missing persons are from Goroimari,” a Barpeta Circle field officer told the press.

He added that a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team is en route to the site and that a coordinated search involving both SDRF and NDRF personnel would resume on Wednesday morning.

As the search continued, anxious relatives and villagers gathered along the riverbanks and ghats, waiting for updates amid emotional scenes and growing concern.

Preliminary reports have raised serious questions about safety compliance.

The boat, described as a small engine-fitted vessel, was allegedly operating without basic safety measures and may have ventured into strong river currents.

The boatman was rescued and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital. “We are expecting him to tell us what actually went wrong,” the official said.

The incident once again highlights longstanding concerns over unsafe and overcrowded ferry services on the Brahmaputra. Despite repeated warnings, weak enforcement of safety norms continues to endanger lives.

A similar tragedy was reported in June 2025 at the Gorakhsatari–Nadiya ferry ghat in Nalbari district’s Barkhetri, where a boat mishap left several passengers, many of them school students, feared missing.

In that case, the Inland Water Transport Department reportedly had no record of the number of passengers on board, underscoring persistent gaps in regulatory oversight.

With inputs from agencies