Ferrying into pieces

In the middle of a Brahmaputra went a ferry with 350 people on board. A gush of fast wind, the roaring angry waters, tipsy-turvy went the ferry - many went missing, many died and the ferry? There went one part of it and down goes the river another!

Onlookers look at the damaged boat which was taken on shore; Source: Reuters

It was a normal sunny afternoon at Dhubri. People who had to commute daily to earn their living were waiting for their turn to board the ferry. Around 350 tickets were issued to the adult passengers, with many children travelling without tickets. The ferry with a capacity of 200 passengers was surely crowded but this was a norm here. With people having no other option for travel the riverine system provided the fastest and cheapest option.

It had started raining on a sunny afternoon but this too was common. The coastal climate was well known for its twists and turns. The ferry was sailing for almost 2.30 hours now and the climate was getting worst. The winds and rain were getting stronger, a sense of panic and fear was looming amongst the passengers. Some even asked the ferryman to deck to safety.

The ferryman of course ignored them saying this was normal and he has gone through this kind of weather before. He insisted that the destination is close and we would reach Medartari ferry ghat in no time. This would have been true on normal days but this was no normal day. The afternoon had turned into a night. The strong winds were shaking the ferry, a storm was coming. Before anyone could react the ferry was hurled in the air, shattering into pieces, getting swallowed by the mighty Brahmaputra river.

Many people managed to swim back to safety but not all were that lucky. The ferry was old, overcrowded and laden with goods rather than lifeboats or life jackets. Such mishaps were common on this riverine system. Many small-sized boats had capsized before but a ferry of this size, never.

The rescue efforts had started immediately. Although the bad weather managed to stall it. With zero visibility and heavy pouring, it was a herculean task for the rescue forces. Around 150 people were rescued and 103 dead bodies recovered with a significant number still missing.

The then CM of Assam Tarun Gogoi and former PM Manmohan Singh had expressed grief and assured all the possible support to the victims.

This was one of the worst ferry accidents that hit India. The survivors are still traumatised, after seeing dead bodies floating like wood sticks it's really difficult to go back to the ferry. Unfortunately for them, they have no choice, they still have to earn a living. People still have to travel through these overcrowded ferries where safety measures are nonexistent.

Till date, such riverine accidents haunt the people and government rather than making policies to avoid such accidents would show up after the accident. To evaluate human life and award compensation accordingly.