30 confirmed dead, many still missing; search on

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At least 30 people were confirmed dead and several others were still missing at noon on Sunday after an overloaded boat capsized in the Ganga near Patna the previous evening. Eyewitnesses indicated lapses on the part of the state government could be responsible for the incident.
The disaster management team, which had been pressed into action for search and rescue operations, has recovered 25 bodies from the river so far. About a dozen passengers who had been injured were admitted to the Patna Medical College and Hospital.
The incident occurred when people were returning from Makar Sankranti celebrations from Sabbalpur diara (islets) in the river. A kite-flying celebration was organised on diara by the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation. However, more than 10,000 people reached the venue which was more than what the event organisers had expected. Moreover, the government boats stopped ferrying people after 4 pm. It led to a chaotic situation on the islets, as people tried to force their way on private boats. Designed to carry 25-30 passengers at most, private boats are believed to have ferried 60-70 people because of the rush. Meanwhile, the security personnel did nothing to control the people, according to the survivors.
The survivors said the boat leaked mid-stream and started sinking near the NIT ghat in Patna. Some survivors were able to swim to safety, while local residents saved several others. Still, many others died in the incident. According to relatives of passengers, around 12 people are still missing.

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