18 children missing in Bihar boat accident

Muzaffarpur: Search is still underway by rescue teams to trace 18 children, almost eight hours after they went missing following a boat capsize in Bagmati river in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district on Thursday, officials said. The boat was carrying 30 children, and 12 of them have so far been rescued, they said.

The incident took place near Madhupur Patti ghat along the Bagmati river when the children were going to school, the officials said. Talking to reporters in Muzaffarpur, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said: “Rescue operation is underway… I have asked the district magistrate concerned to look into the matter with urgency.

The state government will provide all assistance to the affected families.” Kumar was here in the morning to review the progress of ongoing projects in the district. Talking to PTI, District Magistrate Pranav Kumar said, “All efforts are being made to trace the 18 missing children. We have also deployed divers from neighbouring districts. Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force have been engaged in the rescue operation as well.”