Hunt on for missing in boat mishap; toll may rise

Dhubri (Assam, India), May 1 (PTI) Rescuers searched the Brahmaputra River in Dhubri district of Assam state in northeastern India without any result today for the over 100 missing in the ferry disaster even as the Indian government got in touch with Bangladesh to locate bodies that may have washed downstream to the neighbouring country. A day after the double-decker ferry capsized in the river leaving 103 dead, rescue personnel of the Indian Army, Border Security Force and National Disaster Rescue Force were searching the river for the missing people. Two helicopters have also been pressed into operation. Local people on the India-Bangladesh border in Dhubri reported sighting some bodies driven downstream by the swift currents of the mighty river. Medartary, on the south bank of the river for which the ferry was headed is only 15 km to the Indo-Bangladesh border. Dhubri Deputy Commissioner Kumud Chandra Kalita said, "The death toll may rise as more than 100 are missing and the exact toll will be known after the search operation." In Guwahati, Assam state Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said, "The Central Government has contacted the Bangladesh Government to retrieve bodies that may have been washed downstream." Gogoi, who has already ordered an inquiry, said that bad weather at the spot was hindering rescue operations. Assam Transport Minister Chandan Brahma, under fire over alleged irregularities in registration of ferries, said an inquiry has been ordered. "Anybody found guilty of any violation of rules will not be spared," he said. A BSF official said the main reason for the tragedy was due to the overloaded boat and bad weather. "To prevent such tragedies from recurring, an early warning system is needed to be put in place," the chief minister said. PTI Caption for pic: Rescue work in progress on Tuesday, a day after a ferry, with over 350 people on board, capsized in heavy storm in Brahmaputra river in Dhubri district. PTI Photo