A “hand boat” sinks during the storm in Son Beel; 3 rescued, 2 still missing

By barakbulletin On May 26, 2021 - 9:47 pm

In a tragic turn of affairs, a hand boat turned upside down in Son Beel during the mild storm that blew over Karimganj today evening. Despite repeated warnings, reportedly, hand boats were sailing across the wetlands of Son Beel throughout the day. Located between Hailakandi and Karimganj, Son Beel is a massive attraction for tourists in Barak Valley. However, tourism activities have been restricted by the State government and the movement of individuals is banned after 2:00 pm.

Karimganj SP, Mayank Kumar Jha said that the Police received the information about a “hand boat” drowning. According to the intel available with the Police, at around 4:30 pm a hand boat with five passengers met with an accident in Son Beel lake under Ram Krishna Nagar Police Station.

Out of the five passengers sailing on the boat, Nilesh Das, his son, 17-year-old Ajit Das, and 7-year-old Dhanu Das, son of Manoranjan Das have been rescued. Nilesh Das is the owner of the boat and all of them are residents of Fakuragram village.

50-year-old, Ujjala Das, wife of Amaresh Das, a resident of Kalyanpur village, and 10-year-old Hasi Da, daughter of Bishnupada Das, a resident of Santipur village are still missing. SP Karimganj said that efforts are on to trace and rescue them.

Officials of the District Disaster Management Authority, State Disaster Response Force are on the spot conducting a search operation. DDMA officials said that the Circle Officer has visited the spot where the accident took place. They are not sure why they were sailing in the wetlands during the lockdown hours and despite storm warnings. DDMA is expected to furnish a detailed report tomorrow.

“The circle officer who went there on the spot said the heavy wind or storm that had hit Karimganj for a brief period during the evening is suspected to be the cause of the accident. However, further details will only unveil the actual cause of the accident and the circumstances under which it happened,” added the DDMA officer.