Guwahati: One woman died and several others were missing after a private motorised country boat sank in the Brahmaputra after being hit by a bigger ferry coming from the opposite direction on Wednesday afternoon.
Videos have emerged from Nimati Ghat showing people desperately trying to swim as the boats rapidly go down.
In one such video that has emerged from Assamās Jorhat, people can be seen running on the deck of one of the boats, trying to flee as it collides with the other boat. However, even as the people try to run to safety, the boat starts tilting on its side.
Boats run by government and private parties are the lifeline for the islanders. Privately run boats do not issue tickets and hence they do not keep count of passengers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “all possible efforts are being made to rescue the passengers.”