Assam ferry tragedy: More bodies recovered

Guwahati, May 3 (IANS) Eight more bodies, including of a woman and four children, were fished out from the Brahmaputra river Thursday, taking the number of bodies recovered in Monday's ferry disaster to 71. Over 250 people are believed to have died in the tragedy in Assam's Dhubri district.

Commandant of the 1st battalion of the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) Aloke Singh told IANS Thursday that eight bodies had been found.

The search operation, being jointly carried out by NDRF, the Border Security Force and Army personnel resumed around 7 a.m. Thursday, he said.

"We in the control room here in Madattari are being informed that some more bodies have been spotted at various places. But we are still waiting for the bodies to be brought here," Singh said, and added that the control office had also received 42 missing complaints.

Dhubri Deputy Commissioner Kumud Kalita said that "Reports are pouring in from various areas about the spotting of human bodies, which we suspect are of the victims of Monday's ferry tragedy".

"It is difficult to fix the death toll as of now, as fresh information is coming in every moment," said Kalita, adding that the search operation is likely to continue for a few more days.

Meanwhile, BSF and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are scheduled to meet over a flag-meeting to discuss recovery of bodies of the ferry tragedy.

The ferry, which was carrying more than 350 passengers, was hit by a storm near Madattari ghat under Fakirganj police station in Dhubri district Monday and capsized. Only 80 people could be rescued by the local people.