Patna: One person drowned and another went missing after a boat carrying 11 passengers capsized near pier number 9 of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Vaishali district on Tuesday afternoon. Nine people were rescued, while the body of one of the missing men was later recovered by local residents.The incident occurred around 1pm in the Teresia Diara area under Ganga Bridge police station. According to officials, the boat was crossing the Ganga when it drifted towards the riverbank and struck a boulder or submerged structure hidden beneath the floodwaters. The impact caused the boat to lose balance and sink within moments.The body was identified as Chandan Kumar, while the missing person was identified as Deepak Kumar. Both were residents of Teresia Diara.The passengers were travelling to attend a private function, while some were headed towards the Gandhi Setu area for medical consultation and to purchase daily necessities.Local residents rushed to the spot after hearing the commotion. A local diver rescued four people, while another man from the Ganga Bridge area saved a passenger from drowning. Others swam to safety or were pulled out by villagers. During the rescue, one of the rescuers was bitten by a snake and admitted to Sadar Hospital. His condition was stable.Vaishali district magistrate Varsha Singh and superintendent of police Shubhank Mishra reached the spot and supervised the operation. Singh said preliminary information indicated the boat was privately operated. NDRF and SDRF teams, along with police and local divers, continued the search.
