Vaishali boat capsize: 13 children dead in Ganga near Raghopur, toll disputed at 14

At least 13 children died after a boat capsized in the Ganga near Rampur Shyamchand village in the Raghopur Diara area of Bihar’s Vaishali district on Tuesday night, 13 October, according to the district administration. Other figures in circulation put the toll at 14.

The boat was carrying passengers, most of them children, to a neighbouring village for a feast when it overturned at about 8:30 pm, NewsDrum reported. Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh confirmed that 13 bodies had been recovered and that all the dead were children aged 15 or below, according to the report. Local reports said seven children from one family were among those killed.

Toll figures differ

Official and other accounts of the toll do not match. The district administration’s latest figure was 13. RJD leader and Raghopur MLA Tejashwi Yadav said 14 bodies had been recovered and that about 30 people were on board, NewsDrum reported. Outlook India, citing Tejashwi Yadav, put the toll at “at least 14” and said women may also be among the dead. Officials had not established how many people were on the boat.

• Deaths: 13 (district administration); 14 (Tejashwi Yadav and several outlets)
• Rescued: seven, admitted to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), Patna, reported stable (NewsDrum)
• Location: Ganga near Rampur Shyamchand village, Raghopur police station area, Vaishali
• Time: about 8:30 pm on Tuesday, 13 October

Locals told ETV Bharat that 30 to 35 children may have been on board and that 10 to 15 were still unaccounted for. Officials have not confirmed this. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), working with local divers, continued search operations on Wednesday.

Compensation announced

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each person who died, and ₹50,000 for each injured person. “The loss of lives in the boat capsizing incident in Vaishali, Bihar, is deeply painful,” the Prime Minister’s Office said on X. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced ₹4 lakh for each bereaved family and described the deaths as “extremely sad and heart-wrenching.”

President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan also expressed condolences. Tejashwi Yadav said he had spoken to the district magistrate and disaster management officials and asked for more rescue teams.

Villagers allege negligence

Ravi Yadav, a local resident, told ETV Bharat that the boat already had a crack. He said villagers had complained about its condition several times and that he had told the Raghopur Circle Officer, but the boat was not replaced. He also alleged that help reached the spot 45 minutes late and that “the children who were rescued were saved only by the villagers themselves.” According to the report, SDRF and NDRF teams arrived at daybreak.

Villagers demanded a case against the Circle Officer, and some protested as the bodies were taken for post-mortem, ETV Bharat reported. No official response to these allegations had been reported at the time of writing. Preliminary reports suggest overcrowding may have been a factor, and the cause is under investigation.

Sources: Outlook India, NewsDrum, ETV Bharat