30 feared drowned as boat sinks in India

08 Jun, 2004

At least 30 people were feared drowned when a crowded boat sank Monday in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, police said.
The boat was carrying around 50 passengers when it went down in the fast-flowing Bagmati river of Bihar's Sheohar district, near the border with Nepal, the Press Trust of India quoted the police as saying.
Twenty of the passengers swam to safety and the others were feared drowned, the police said, adding a search was on for the missing.
River accidents are common in impoverished Bihar and are usually blamed on overcrowding and poor maintenance of the boats.

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