Summary:
GEONKHALI (EAST MIDNAPORE ): Ten people on board a sinking barge were brought to safety by locals at East Midnapore’s Geonkhali on Tuesday. When the local fishermen’s boat reached the barge before it completely drowned, all 10 boarded the boat and were carried to the river bank. Less than two months ago, on July 20, a passenger ship heading to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands had hit a jetty on the river bank at Geonkhali.Hariballabhpur gram panchayat member Mamtaz Mullick, who was on the river bank and organised the rescue effort. The barge drowned in another four hours.Mumtaz said, “A large number of boats and barges sail along the river. The incident took place at the confluence of the rivers Rupnarayan and Hooghly at Badurnatpatia.Locals said when the barge started sinking, people on board, including the sailors and some labours gathered outside the cabin..