Indian ferry disaster
May 1, 2012
Rescue workers continued searching for over 100 people still missing on Tuesday after an overloaded ferry capsized in heavy wind and rain in the Brahmaputra River in India's Assam state.
Officials said 103 bodies had been recovered from the river. Strong wind and rain were hampering the rescue efforts for the remaining passengers.
"I will be ordering an inquiry into the cause of the accident, but right now our priority is to account for every person who was on the ferry," said Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Assam's top elected official.
About 350 people were thought to have been on the two-deck ferry, which had a capacity of 225, when it broke into two pieces late Monday. Around 150 people were rescued or swam to safety. The ferry had neither life boats not life vests.
It was one of the worst ferry accidents in India in recent years.
ncy/pfd (AP, dpa, AFP)