Spoke to the Chief Minister of Assam Sarbanand Sonwal who apprised me of the details pertaining to boat capsizing t… https://t.co/KMQIa8Tadh — ANI (@ANI) 1536161779000 GUWAHATI: A mechanized country boat carrying about 40 passengers and eight two-wheelers sank in the Brahmaputra river near Guwahati at around 1.30pm. Nearly 12 passengers swam out to safety on their own, but the rest, mostly women and school children, are still missing.A 25-member team of State Disaster Management Authority has been pressed into rescue operations immediately.After nearly two hours, SDRF divers have so far fished out a body of a teenaged girl. The search operation is still on in the mighty river that is in full spate.The boat was carrying passengers from Guwahati to north Guwahati when its engine suddenly stopped and it sank just about 200 metres away from the bank.One of the survivors, Utpal Chamua said that he saved his life by jumping on to the rescue boat but the others did not have time and went into the river along with the boat. “We threw life jackets from the rescue boat to those who were trying to swim and one woman who was swimming with her child wrapped around her could be saved,” he said.According to sources, the boat was carrying nearly 40 passengers of which only 24 persons had boarded with tickets.The country boats are operated by private lessees under permission from Assam Inland Water Transport Department. An official said that 22 tickets were issued. But, there were several others travelling without tickets.Mechanized country boats carry people between both the banks daily as a cheaper and faster mode of communication for thousands of commuters.

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