2010 West Bengal ferry sinking
| Date | 30 October 2010 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bhagirathi River, West Bengal, India |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Cause | Overcrowding |
| Participants | 220 passengers and crew[1] |
| Deaths | 74+[2] |
The 2010 West Bengal Ferry Sinking was an incident which occurred on Saturday, 30 October 2010, when an over-crowded ferry carrying Muslim pilgrims sank after hitting a sand bank on the Bhagirathi River in the Indian state of West Bengal.[3] Thus far at least 74 bodies have been recovered, with many more missing, feared swept downstream.[4]
Accident
The ferry, which had a listed capacity of 60,[5] capsized and sank in rough waters whilst ferrying Muslim pilgrims back from a religious festival down the Bhagirathi River. It is believed up to 150 people, more than double the capacity, were on the boat at the time.[6]
The Indian Navy was called in to help with the rescue, with Navy divers and local fishermen helping to rescue survivors from the river as well as collect deceased bodies.[7][8]
A protest was staged on a jetty near the accident site by frustrated locals who believe the government was too slow to react to help with the disaster,[9] despite the Navy's committing a helicopter as well as personnel to help look in case against all likelihood there are more survivors.[10]
References
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