GANGA TURNS FATAL DURING A FAMILY FEAST JOURNEY: 13 DEAD, CHILDREN AMONG VICTIMS AS RESCUE TEAMS SEARCH FOR THE MISSING IN BIHAR
October 14, 2026
A boat capsizing in the Ganga in Bihar’s Vaishali district has claimed at least 13 lives, with seven survivors receiving medical treatment and three to four people still missing. The tragedy unfolded on Tuesday evening in the river near Rampur Shyamchand panchayat, under the jurisdiction of Raghopur police station, as a group of passengers travelled to attend a feast at a nearby village.
The small boat capsized midstream at approximately 8.30 pm while carrying people, many of them children and young men, towards the house of Singheshwar Rai near Mata Maharani Sthan in Bhagatan Tola. The sudden disaster plunged passengers into the river and triggered an urgent rescue effort as local residents rushed to the spot after receiving information about the accident.
Villagers and other residents began pulling people from the water and arranging medical assistance before police and administrative officials arrived. Several survivors were taken to the primary health centre at Raghopur Fatehpur for treatment. As the scale of the tragedy became clear, the administration mobilised additional rescue resources to search for those still unaccounted for.
An operation involving the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local divers was launched to locate the missing passengers. Vaishali Superintendent of Police Shubhank Mishra reached the scene and confirmed that the death toll had risen to 13 after the recovery of the bodies. Authorities said that three to four people remained missing and seven rescued passengers were undergoing treatment.
The victims included several children. Among those identified were Pinky Kumari, 13, daughter of Doman Rai; Ankita Kumari, 6, and Sunita Kumari, daughters of Raj Kishore Rai; Aryan Kumar, son of Girdhari Rai; Alisha Kumari, 18, and Siki Kumari, daughters of Suresh Rai; Bhonu Kumari, daughter of Rampravesh Rai; Meera Kumari, daughter of Lalu Rai; and Naman Kumar, 10, son of Mukesh Rai. All were residents of Rampur Shyamchand village. Police said the identities of the remaining deceased had yet to be confirmed.
The loss of so many lives, including young children, has cast a pall of grief over the area. What began as an ordinary journey to attend a social gathering ended in a major river accident, leaving families awaiting news of missing relatives while rescue workers continued searching the waters.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary expressed grief over the deaths and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. He announced financial assistance of ₹4 lakh for the family of each deceased person and directed the administration to expedite rescue and relief operations while ensuring the best possible treatment for the injured.
Tejashwi Yadav, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and MLA from Raghopur, also expressed sorrow over the incident. He said he had spoken with local residents, the administration and officials and urged them to accelerate rescue operations, relief measures and medical treatment for those affected.
The immediate priority remains locating the missing passengers, supporting the survivors and helping the bereaved families. The circumstances surrounding the capsizing will also need to be established as the administration assesses the incident and the response.
The Vaishali tragedy has once again highlighted the grave risks associated with river travel when an accident occurs far from immediate medical assistance. With 13 deaths confirmed and several people still missing, the rescue operation continues amid anxiety and grief across the affected community.
