Hamirpur: A search operation is currently underway in the Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh following a tragic incident on Wednesday evening, where six people went missing after a boat submerged in the Yamuna River. According to District Magistrate Abhishek Goyal, the vessel was carrying nine passengers from Ghatampur when it lost balance and sank in the middle of the river. While three individuals were rescued shortly after the incident, the remaining six—including five children and one woman—have yet to be located.
The incident occurred around 7:00 p.m. near Kutubpur Patiya hamlet as the group was returning from a routine trip to a river island. The boatman, identified as Dheeru, managed to rescue three survivors—Vishnu, Rinku, and Parul—who were subsequently taken to a community health centre for treatment. The missing individuals have been identified as Akanksha (9), Rani (9), Brijrani (25), Labhyansh (5), Mahesh (6), and Aditya (11). Despite the boatman’s claims that the vessel submerged on its own rather than capsizing, authorities are investigating whether overcrowding or current conditions played a role.
Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with local flood relief units, have been deployed to the site. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the tragedy, directing senior administrative and police officials to conduct the search on a war footing. He has emphasized that any negligence in the rescue efforts will not be tolerated and has instructed officials to provide all possible assistance to the affected families.
As of Thursday morning, the search remains intensive, with divers scanning the deep waters of the Yamuna. Local BJP MLA Manoj Prajapati and other senior officials are personally monitoring the site, noting that rescue efforts were initially hampered by darkness on Wednesday night. The administration is expected to submit a comprehensive report to the Chief Minister once the cause of the accident is established and the search concludes.
