By IANS
Varanasi : At least one person died and eleven were missing as a boat capsized in river Ganga near Varanasi Monday noon.
While seven people swam to safety, one body has been recovered so far. The local administration has rushed divers to locate the missing passengers.
"The boat was ferrying 19 passengers across the wide span of the river from Mirzapur in the downstream to Garhwa Ghat on the outskirts of Varanasi. It capsized midstream," Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Nitin Gokaran said.
He said: "Seven people managed to swim to safety, while the rest are feared drowned; the body of an 80-year-old woman was pulled out of the river after about an hour. We have rushed police divers to look for others."
"Prima facie, it appears to be a case of overloading as the boat was stated to be rather small to cart 19 passengers," Gokaran said.