14 Drown as Overloaded Boat Capsizes in Bihar's Vaishali: PM Modi and CM Announce Relief

In a devastating river tragedy in northern Bihar, at least 14 people drowned after a boat ferrying over 20 passengers capsized in Vaishali district late Tuesday evening. The vessel lost balance and overturned while villagers were returning home after attending a community feast in a neighboring settlement. Upon receiving reports of the disaster, district administrative officials, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local police teams launched an overnight search and rescue operation to retrieve survivors and locate missing passengers from the river waters.

Central and State Ex-Gratia Relief: PM Modi and Chief Minister Announce Compensation

Following confirmation of the mass casualty incident, leadership at both the Centre and state government levels sanctioned financial support for affected families:

• PMNRF Relief Announced: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed profound sorrow over the tragic loss of lives, announcing an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased victim, alongside ₹50,000 for each injured passenger.

• State Compensation of ₹4 Lakh: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved households, sanctioning an immediate ex-gratia sum of ₹4 lakh per deceased person from the state disaster relief allocations.

• Administrative Medical Care: Local civil hospitals and public health centers have been instructed to ensure free, round-the-clock intensive medical treatment and trauma care for the surviving passengers rescued from the river.

High-Level Rescue Operation: SDRF and Expert Divers Coordinate Search

Senior administrative and police officers converged on the mishap site to oversee emergency operations:

• Four Rescued Alive: Tirhut Range DIG Chandan Kumar Kushwaha reported that prompt deployment of expert local divers enabled emergency teams to pull four passengers safely out of the currents shortly after the capsizing.

• On-Ground Monitoring: High-ranking authorities, including Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh and Superintendent of Police Shubhankar Mishra, remained stationed at the riverbank to direct logistical assistance and review search perimeters.

• Comprehensive Search Grid: SDRF personnel operating motorized speedboats continue sweeps across downstream channels to account for every passenger recorded on board the vessel.