At least six persons were missing after a boat carrying around 60 devotees to a Shiva temple capsized in the Brahmani river in the district on Monday evening.
The mishap occurred when villagers, including women, of Surapatrapur of Bhuban block were on their way by boat to worship at the Goudeswar Mahadev temple in Gondia and participate in the Mahashivaratri festival there.
According to sources, the overcrowded boat capsized soon after leaving the Chandipal Ghat. While six of them were missing, two women were rescued in critical conditions, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the district administration intensified its efforts to rescue the missing persons.
“Efforts are on to rescue the missing persons. The already rescued persons are admitted at the Bhuban hospital,” said Kamakhyanagar Sub-Collector Manoj Kumar Behera.