At least 103 killed in capsized ferry in India

At least 103 people drowned in Guwahati, India, after an overloaded ferry carrying around 300 people sank at night.

Rescue workers battled heavy wind and rain to rescue survivors from one of India’s largest rivers on Monday.

Police chief of the state of Assam, Jayanta Narayan Choudhury, said that around 100 people were rescued from what is being called the worst of its kind in recent memory of India’s north-east region.

The ferry was carrying local farmers and their families when a storm caused it to tip over, throwing a number of people who were sitting on the roof into the river.

A police officer said that rescue operations were suspended due to bad weather but would continue once again at sunrise.

 The vessel was old and broke in half according to eyewitnesses who saw the ferry capsize becoming the largest boat to sink in one of Asia’s largest rivers in recent years.

The ferry did not carry any lifeboats or life jackets and was overloaded with people and sacks of rice among other things.

Representing Assam in the upper house of parliament, Prime Minister Manmoham Singh expressed his grievance and shock by the accident.

Colleagues working downstream in Bangladesh were contacted by rescue workers to help search for survivors.