400 Feared Dead in India Ferry Sinking

A World War II-vintage ferry jammed with more than 500 Hindu pilgrims capsized on the Ganges River in eastern India on Saturday, killing at least 38 people and leaving hundreds missing, local officials and reporters said.

About 100 people were rescued after the accident in Bihar state, according to reports from the remote area. Indian news agencies and local reporters said as many as 400 people are feared drowned.

Most of the passengers on the ferry were pilgrims who were crossing the sacred river to catch a train to the Hindu town of Sahibganj, whose shrines are visited by thousands every day.

The accident occurred about 10:40 a.m. near Katihar, 185 miles east of Patna and 650 miles east of New Delhi.

“The launch is still under water. We are told by local officials that at least 400 people are feared dead. Many of the victims are still trapped,” an Indian reporter said when contacted by telephone in Patna, capital of Bihar state, more than six hours after the accident.

The reporter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he had seen the boat’s passenger list and said there were 535 passengers.

“Only about 100 people have been rescued and 38 bodies located. There is slim chance of survivors,” he said.

“The casualties could be high because many of the passengers were women and children,” one official said.

The accident came only hours after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck along the India-Burma border, killing at least two people in northeastern India and churning up waves that capsized three river ferries in Bangladesh. Thirty people are missing in Bangladesh, authorities said.

Overcrowding Blamed

Overcrowding was suspected to have caused the ferry accident in India, authorities said. Officials described the vessel as a privately owned, diesel-powered ferry first put into service during World War II. They said authorities suspect that the owner, who was not identified, loaded it with too many passengers to increase profits.

Senior police and government officials rushed to the scene in a remote corner of Bihar, India’s poorest and least-developed state. Many residents depend on river ferries for transportation because of bad roads and inadequate public transit facilities.

Local authorities requested the state government dispatch divers to search for victims in the river, badly swollen by heavy monsoon showers.

“The river is in high state (flooded) and there is very strong current, so chances of survivors is less,” the Indian reporter said.

Darkness Halts Efforts

The pilgrims were traveling to Sahibganj to worship at a nearby temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, officials said.

Rescue work was suspended at nightfall until this morning.

Accounts on the number of passengers and casualties varied.

United News of India said 38 bodies had been recovered. UNI and another news agency, Press Trust of India, said 400 people were feared drowned.

State-run All India Radio said the launch was carrying 300 people. At least 100 of them were rescued and the rest are feared drowned, the radio said.

Previous Disasters

The pilgrims often spend weeks moving from shrine to shrine along the Ganges, and boat disasters often happen during the peak pilgrim season.

A year ago in Bihar, 50 people drowned in the Ganges near the town of Munger.

The ferries are usually relatively flimsy craft able to negotiate rivers in calm weather with a small number of passengers.

Press Trust of India reported that the two confirmed deaths from Saturday’s powerful earthquake occurred in Assam state. It said that more than 400 houses were destroyed in northeast India and at least 14 people were injured.

In Bangladesh, giant waves produced by the quake sank three boats plying the Jamuna River, tossing about 150 people into the water, officials said. Most swam ashore, but at least 30 are missing.

Another quake registering 6.3 jolted parts of Pakistan and Nepal later Saturday but no injuries were reported.