By IANS
Lucknow : At least 22 people were killed and four missing Wednesday as a boat filled with people attempting to flee a flooded village in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district capsized due to strong river currents.
The dead included six women and a dozen children, while three of the four missing were also children.
The boat, with over 85 people on board, was also loaded with the belongings of those fleeing the marooned Harakpur village in the same district.
According to district superintendent of police Prashant Kumar, "the boat was ferrying people across the flooded river when it gave way under the pressure of too many passengers and the currents of the Rohin river".
The Rohin, which is in spate, has inundated 154 villages in the district.
Kumar added: "Timely help by flood relief and rescue teams already deployed in the flood affected areas saved about 60 people."
He said the boat was very old and not fit enough to withstand the pressure of the floodwaters.
Maharajganj borders Nepal, where the Rohin originates. The river is usually in spate every monsoon.
The state government has announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs.100,000 for the relatives of the deceased and missing people.
This is the second incident of a boat capsizing in the past three days. On Monday, 12 people drowned when a boat carrying 28 people capsized in the Ganges on the outskirts of Varanasi.