Three children are missing while 21 others were rescued when a boat capsized in Assam’s Hojai district, officials said on Saturday.
A group of 24 villagers were evacuating themselves from flood inundated Islampur late on Friday night when the boat hit a brick kiln and overturned in Raikota area of the district.
Hojai Deputy Commissioner Anupam Choudhury said that the NDRF and SDRF personnel have rescued 21 persons so far while search operations were continuing to trace the three children.
Choudhury urged people not to take any risk and venture out in the dark in these critical times.
“If people want to move to safer places, they should contact the district administration. We will evacuate them in NDRF and SDRF boats”, he said.
The River Kopili has inundated vast tracts and affected a population of 55,150 in the district which was also severely affected in the first wave of floods in the state.
A total of 29,745 inmates have taken shelter in 47 relief camps in the district.
According to the bulletin of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), another person was reported missing in a separate incident in Hojai on Friday.
In Sonitpur district, a person was reported missing when the boat in which four persons were travelling overturned on Friday. Three of them were rescued while search was on to trace the fourth person.
Assam is facing severe floods and incessant rainfall with a total population of 18.95 lakh affected in 28 districts and 55 people losing their lives this year.
