Boat capsizes in West Bengal's Murshidabad, 7 persons missing

Possibly five to seven persons are missing, said District Magistrate P Ulaganathan.

Representational image

Baharampore: Seven persons went missing after a boat capsized in Bhairav river in West Bengal's Murshidabad district Thursday evening, a senior official said.

According to District Magistrate P Ulaganathan, two boats started off from Hariharpara to Vrindabanpur around 6.30 pm carrying 40 people.

One of the boats capsized in the river in Garibpur.

"Some people have been rescued while some managed to swim to shore. There are possibly five to seven persons missing," he said.

"We have initiated a search operation for them. Adequate lighting arrangements are also being made for the operations as it's dark," he said.

Asked whether the missing persons could have drowned, Ulaganathan said, "They could have been swept away by the stream. We are trying our best to locate them."