Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that 2 people are missing and 2 deaths have been reported after the ferry accident in the Brahmaputra river near Nimatighat in upper Assam's Jorhat district on Wednesday afternoon.
As per government records, 82 persons have been rescued so far of which one person died in hospital.
28-year-old Parimita Das from Guwahati, who worked as an assistant professor at Rangachahi college in Majuli, succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday evening in Jorhat Medical College Hospital (JMCH).
Sources said eight rescued persons are undergoing treatment in JMCH.
According to a statements made by police, a total of were 90 persons were travelling by the boat when the mishap occurred on Wednesday afternoon.
However, locals claimed that there were more than 100 persons in the boat.
The administration has failed to ascertain the exact number of passengers travelling in the vessel as no tickets were issued to the passengers.
The mishap occurred when the Majuli Kamalabari bound private boat 'Ma Kamala', collided with the government-owned ferry 'Tripkai', which was coming from Majuli, stated a local media report.
Meanwhile, search operations by the SDRF and NDRF are going on in the river Brahmaputra.
Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Ashok Barman said, "The Army will join the rescue operations on Thursday with some advanced machines."
Assam power minister Bimal Bora, who reached Nematighat on Wednesday night, said, "There must be some lapses. Otherwise, this accident would not have taken place. These all will be looked into."
On the other hand, the Assam Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) has opened helpline numbers to disseminate information related to the accident. These are 1070, 1079 and 1077.
