Bahraich boat accident: 4th body recovered 10 km downstream, 5 still missing

Bahraich (UP), Nov 4 (PTI) The body of an 11-year-old boy was recovered from the river on Tuesday afternoon, seven days after a boat capsized in the Katarniaghat forest area of Bahraich district, officials said.

With this, the number of bodies recovered has risen to four, while five people are still missing.

According to officials, rescue teams of the NDRF, SDRF and flood PAC, along with local divers and villagers, are continuing their search operations in the river. Police said there was a possibility of finding one more body by Tuesday night.

Station House Officer of Sujauli police station P C Sharma told PTI that the body recovered on Tuesday has been identified as Shivam (11), a resident of Bharthapur village. The body was sent for post-mortem after identification by the family, he said.

NDRF team commander Dhirendra Singh told reporters that the child's body was found about 10 km downstream from the accident site and around 5 km downstream from the barrage.

On October 29, a boat carrying 22 passengers capsized in the Kaudiyala river near Bharthapur village. Thirteen people were rescued the same night. Of the remaining nine, an injured woman identified as Ramjeyi (60) died on the way to the hospital.

On Sunday, November 2, the bodies of boatman Shivanandan (50) and a woman passenger, Suman (28), were recovered from the river near the Lakhimpur district border, about three to four kilometres from the accident site.

Social worker, Jung Hindustani, who works among forest-dwelling villagers, said Bharthapur village is located in a remote area of the Katarniaghat forest, with no other habitation within a 10-km radius. The village is surrounded by the river on three sides and dense forest on the fourth, home to crocodiles, gharials, and other aquatic and wild animals.

Following the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted an aerial survey of the area on Sunday and met the affected families. He handed over model cheques of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and assured them of all possible assistance.

The chief minister announced an allocation of Rs 21.55 crore to relocate all displaced families to a safe colony, which will be named after Bharthapur village to preserve their identity.

The proposed colony will include essential facilities such as housing, toilets, land plots, schools, and healthcare services for both people and livestock. Officials have been directed to expedite the relocation process.

The village remains in mourning, with grief-stricken families struggling to come to terms with the tragedy. PTI COR KIS SKY SKY