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Sunken boat traced, child's body retrieved 4 km away

The bloated body of a child was fished out from the Brahmaputra by rescue workers this morning as army divers resumed their operation to retrieve the ill-fated boat that sank with about 30 people on board on Tuesday, October 27.

The body was found 4 km downstream, north of Guwahati, near the opposite bank of the river.

Meanwhile, heavier tug boats with sufficient steel ropes, along with a number of smaller boats, have resumed the operation to retrieve the boat from a depth of 130 feet.

Army divers had traced the boat yesterday at about 1.30 pm IST and two anchors were dropped and the boat tied at its strongest point.

A tugboat of the inland water transport department of the Assam government made a brief effort later in the afternoon to pull the boat out, but failed. The mission was abandoned because of failing light.

Major S K Singh, commanding officer of the 1st Para, which has been diving since yesterday to locate the boat, admitted that it would be a Herculean task to pull it up intact.

"The boat is filled with sand and I fear that it may break under the pressure of the tug boats. In that case the bodies trapped inside may get scattered," he said.

Major Singh expects at least some bodies to be trapped inside considering that only one body has been recovered 48 hours after the accident.

Sepoy S S Negi, who found the boat after about 30 dives, said visibility was nil and he managed to get to the boat by groping. "It was about 135 feet down and the boat was at the bottom of the riverbed. I found some clothes. There must have been a body trapped inside and I tried to pull it out, but could not."

The divers also found it difficult to enter the boat. "They can enter through a window, but if they take a wrong turn they will be strangled in the water. It is highly risky, but that option is open," said Major R K Bhattacharrya, who is assisting Major Singh's team.

UNI

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