Eleven Minors Die After Boat Capsizes in Bihar's Vaishali District

At least 11 minors died on Tuesday evening when a boat capsized in the Ganga in Bihar's Vaishali district. The vessel was carrying passengers between villages in the Raghopur Diara area near Rampur Shyamchand. Most of the dead were teenagers. Seven people, including the boat owner, were rescued.

Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh said the boat had been carrying 15 to 20 people according to the owner's account. Initial reports from the scene suggested a higher number. The passengers were travelling to attend a feast linked to funeral rituals in a nearby village. The boat lost balance and overturned in the river.

Locals who saw the accident swam out and pulled several children to shore. Others were taken to a primary health centre where a doctor declared them dead. Rescue teams continued work through the night. Several people remained unaccounted for at the time of the first official statements.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the family of each victim. In a post on X he described the deaths as extremely sad and heartbreaking. The state government has ordered an inquiry into the circumstances of the overload and the condition of the boat.

Raghopur MLA Tejashwi Yadav posted updates from the site. He reported that six people had been admitted to hospital and that three others had been rescued safely. Later statements from his office raised the recovered body count to 14. Official tallies from the district administration stayed at 11 confirmed deaths of minors.

The accident occurred under the jurisdiction of the Raghopur police station. Officers and disaster-response teams reached the spot within an hour of the first calls. The river current in that stretch is strong in the evening. Visibility drops quickly after sunset, which limited the initial search.

Boat traffic between the diara villages is common. Many households lack road access during the monsoon and post-monsoon months. Operators often carry more passengers than the vessel is rated for, especially when a community event draws people from several hamlets. No passenger manifest existed for this trip.

The district administration has not released the ages of the victims beyond the statement that all 11 confirmed dead were minors around 15 years old. Families have begun identifying bodies at the health centre and at the local police station. Several parents travelled from neighbouring villages after receiving phone calls from survivors.

Similar accidents have occurred on the Ganga in Bihar in recent years. Overloaded country boats and the absence of life jackets are recurring factors in the reports filed after each incident. The state has run awareness campaigns and has distributed some safety equipment, but enforcement on the smaller ferries remains limited.

The feast the passengers were attending is a standard part of Hindu funeral rites in the region. Relatives and neighbours travel by boat when the host village lies across the river. The timing of the accident, late afternoon, coincided with the return journey after the meal.

Rescue operations continued into Wednesday morning. Divers and local boatmen searched the banks and the main channel. The district magistrate said the search would not stop until all missing persons were accounted for. The river level was falling after recent rains, which may help recovery efforts later in the day.

Compensation payments will be processed through the district administration. Families must produce death certificates and identity documents. The state has used the same Rs 4 lakh figure for earlier boat and flood deaths. Additional support for medical treatment of the injured is also available under existing schemes.

The incident adds to the list of river accidents that occur each year on the Ganga in Bihar. Most involve small wooden or fibreglass boats operating without formal licences. The combination of community travel, limited oversight, and strong currents produces a steady toll. Officials have not yet said whether this particular boat will be seized or whether the operator faces charges.

Survivors described the boat tipping suddenly. Several children who could swim reached the bank. Others were pulled under by the current or by the weight of wet clothing. The owner was among those rescued and has given a statement to police. No official has confirmed whether the vessel was overloaded beyond its rated capacity.