Fire brigade personnel on Tuesday rescued all the 12 passengers who were on a boat that capsized near the Badabazar Sadak Ghat along the Mahanadi in Sambalpur district. According to reports, the boat capsized after the boatman lost control of the vessel due to strong winds accompanied by rains. The incident took place between 1.30 pm and 2 pm.
While some passengers, who were on their way to the Mundei Ghat from the Badabazar Sadak Ghat, managed to swim ashore, others swam to a small isle inside the river. Following information, the district administration rushed a fire brigade team to the spot. The fire brigade team, which used a country boat first, failed to move due to the strong winds. They had to take a powerboat to rescue the passengers who were stranded on the isle.
The incident is a grim reminder of the boat tragedy in the Hirakud Dam reservoir on the Mahanadi in the same Sambalpur district last month in which as many as 31 people met their watery grave.