Maharashtra floods: Boat carrying locals capsizes in Sangli; 10 dead

According to ANI, NDRF has rescued over 3,000 and 2, 900 people from Kolhapur and Sangli district, respectively. Pic courtesy/ Chaitraly Deshmukh

In a shocking incident, a boat carrying over 32 people after being rescued from the floods have been capsized, leaving 10 people, including a toddler, dead and six missing.

The incident took place Thursday morning around 9 am at the backwaters of the Krishna river in Bramhanal village in Palus taluka in which is around 25 kilometres away from the Sangli district. The boat was moving towards Vasagade village in which 16 people feared drowned while 19 were rescued. Out of the 10 dead, eight have been identified.

Bramhanal village is near Krishna river. Google Maps

The administration has identified the deceased as Kalpana Ravindra Karande, Kasturi Balashaheb Vader, Papputai Bhaushaheb Patil, Laxmi Jaipal Vader, Rajamati Jaipal Chaughule, Babasaheb Annashaheb Patil while Pillu Tanaji Gadade is said to be missing.

Pune Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaiskar said that the boat was ferrying people beyond its capacity, "The villagers used a boat to travel which was owned by the Zilla Parishad. It had the capacity to ferry 20 people but 32 people were on board due to which it might have lost balance and capsized. We are further investigating the matter," said Mhaiskar.

Also Read: Maharashtra Floods: 12 Navy rescue teams sent to flood-hit Sangli

The boat, owned by Zilla Parishad was used after the locals got no help from the civic authority in spite of repeatedly contacting them. Local resident and Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathana party member Sandeep Rajoba said, "For last three days, our village and nearby area is underwater. There is no electricity and without Internet and telephone service, we were not able to contact each other. People are hungry and starving for more than 40 hours. We repeatedly approached the local administration, but they replied that ours is not under low lying area and nothing will happen to us."

He alleged that even as the water level rose, not neither the Rescue Army nor the NDRF came to their aid. "The locals acquired a boat owned by the Zilla Parishad and 32 people boarded in it. Near a canal, it rammed against something and capsized. The village sarpanch, Police along with us locals rushed to the spot and rescued people. Senior citizens and women were being rescued first," Rajoba added.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has declared Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased. Moreover, a prison was also inundated in Sangli. Around 390 inmates including women prisoners were rescued by police and local prison officers on Thursday. Two of the inmates tried to escape during the rescue operations but the police swam and caught hold of him. One prisoner is still missing.

Also Read: Kerala Floods: Landslides, heavy rains continue to lash the state

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates