In a major tragedy that marred the Sankranti festivities in the tribal belt of north Maharashtra, six persons —including two children — were killed and 38 others injured on Tuesday afternoon, when a boat capsized in Narmada river in Nandurbar district, nearly 360 km from here.
The ill-fated boat was carrying as many as 62 people when it overturned near Busa point in Dhadgaon tehsil of Nandurbar district. At the time of mishap, the affected people were returning home after performing Jal puja in the Narmada river on the occasion of auspicious Sankranti festival.
Official sources said that among those killed, there were two male children, two women, a man and a teenaged boy.
All the passengers on the mishap-hit boat were from Telkhedi village in Dhadgaon tehsil.
With the mishap site being in the hinterland pocket of Nandurbar which is a predominantly tribal district, the district authorities faced impediments in reaching the site for carrying out rescue operations. Till the evening, the local police and villagers had rescued 42 persons — a majority of whom in an injured condition.