Indian Ferry Sinks , at least 35 dead , 75 missing

'Many missing' as Indian ferry sinks
Many people are believed to be missing after a ferry capsized in north-eastern India, police say.

The vessel was reported to be carrying at least 200 passengers on the Brahmaputra river in Assam state.

Reports say at least 35 people have been confirmed dead and 75 people are missing while another 50 made it to safety.

Police officials said the accident happened in the remote district of Dhubri during heavy winds and rain.

Dhubri is about 350km (215 miles) west of Assam's main city, Guwahati.

"I could see people being swept away as the river current was very strong," a witness to the accident, Rahul Karmakar, told AFP news agency.

Assam state chief minister Tarun Gogoi told AFP: "Army, Border Security Force and other rescue teams with mechanised boats have moved to the site but nightfall and bad weather are hampering rescue efforts."

In a statement, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was "shocked and grieved" by the incident.

Mr Singh has "given instructions for all possible assistance to the government of Assam in relief operations", the statement added.

(CNN) -- At least 100 people are feared dead after a ferry broke in two and sank in a remote part of northeastern India, according to officials.

The ferry sank Monday evening as it sailed along the Brahmaputra River in Assam, the state's home commissioner Jishnu Barua told CNN.

Barua said 90 people have so far been rescued, while 40 bodies have been recovered. Divers have been deployed to search for more victims.

The vessel apparently broke apart when it was about to dock after a storm, Barua said. He added that it was overcrowded and carrying around 300 passengers -- more than its capacity of 280.

"I could see people being swept away as the river current was very strong," Rahul Karmakar, who witnessed the disaster, told Agence France-Presse. He added that "chances of survival seem to be remote" in the river, swollen by the heavy rains.

The ferry was from Dhubri, some 186 miles (300 kilometers) from Assam's biggest city, Guwahati, to Fakirganj, AFP said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the sinking a "tragedy." In a statement he said he was "shocked and grieved to know about the loss of lives," adding that he had given instructions "for all possible assistance to the government of Assam in relief operations."

Boat accidents are nothing new in remote areas of India, where ferries are often overcrowded and in poor condition due to lax safety standards.

In 2010, a boat packed with Muslim pilgrims capsized in West Bengal in eastern India, killing at least 79.

Thanks Panda. I searched all day yesterday on Sky News for this and there was nothing. Today, it's on there, but not highlighted, which I thought it should have been for such a major incident.

AnnaEsse wrote:Thanks Panda. I searched all day yesterday on Sky News for this and there was nothing. Today, it's on there, but not highlighted, which I thought it should have been for such a major incident.

I think Asian travellers take their life in their hands, hanging outside Trains, overcrowding on Boats, this is a real tragedy.

If you havn't looked yet see what debris the tsunami washed up.....unbelievable.!!!!