Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident, seven people were killed after a boat carrying over 50 passengers capsized in the Mahanadi river in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district on Friday. Out of the seven missing people, three children and three women have been rescued whereas one woman is still missing.

Soon after the tragedy unfolded, a search and rescue operation was launched to trace the missing passengers. The operation is underway for second day on Saturday. 

According to sources, the passengers had boarded the boat from Bargarh district's Bandhipali area. The boat encountered turbulent waters midway through the journey, causing it to overturn near the Saradha Ghat in Jharsuguda. 

According to sources, scuba divers from Bhubaneshwar will be roped in to join the search operation. So far, around 48 people have been rescued and efforts are on to send them back to their villages. 

According to sources, about 54 passengers onboard the boat were on their way to Jharsuguda Sardha Danga ghat from Bargarh Banjipali. Out of which, 45 people were from Chhattisgarh

CM Announces Rs 4L Ex-Gratia

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the loss of lives. The CM has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased. 

The district authorities said that the incident will be investigated. More details are awaited.