Dhubri boat mishap: One body recovered, two students still missing

Dhubri, Feb 4: After three students went missing following the alleged capsizing of a country boat in the Gangadhar River near Belpara Char under Tamarhat in Assam’s Dhubri district on Tuesday night, the body of one of the victims was recovered on Wednesday.

The deceased was identified as Sarmina Khatun. The other two missing students have been identified as Saha Alam and Mofida. Of the three, one is reportedly a college student, while the other two are school students.

According to latest reports, the incident occurred in the Gangadhar River, which flows along the Assam–West Bengal border.

A group of 22 students from Sagunchara village had travelled to Belpara Char to attend the funeral of a local resident, identified as Naib Ali.

After the religious observance, the group reportedly attempted to return home by crossing the river in a small country boat.

While the boat was midstream, it allegedly capsized, throwing all the passengers into the river.

“The students were returning after attending a funeral. As they boarded the boat, it capsized. Nineteen students managed to come out safely, but three went missing,” a local resident said.

Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have launched a search operation to trace the remaining two missing students.

Officials said the search is likely to continue on Thursday as well.

The incident comes close on the heels of a similar mishap reported last week in Assam’s Barpeta district, where a motorised passenger boat capsized in the Brahmaputra River, leaving at least six people feared missing.

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