Bihar: 13 dead as boat capsizes in Ganga in Vaishali district

In Bihar, at least 13 people died after a boat carrying more than 20 passengers capsized in the Ganga river in Vaishali district on Tuesday evening, officials said. Sources said most of those on the ill-fated boat were children. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who represents the Raghopur Assembly constituency where the incident occurred, claimed in a video posted on X that 14 bodies have been recovered so far. He claimed the boat had 30 passengers, and six were sent to a hospital while three were safe. However, Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh said that "thirteen people have died while six were rescued after the boat capsized in the Ganga river in Raghopur". The rescue operation was underway, she added.

#WATCH | Hajipur, Bihar: Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh said, "This is a very tragic incident; it occurred around 8:30 PM. We received information that a boat carrying 15–20 children, who were on their way to a feast in a neighboring village, capsized. So far, seven people have been rescued and sent to NMCH; their condition is stable. An SDRF team is present here, and rescue operations are being conducted with the help of local divers... A total of 13 children have been found dead; all those declared dead are aged 15 or younger..."

— ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2026

Officials said the incident occurred as residents of Rampur Shyamchand village were on their way to attend a feast in a village across the river.Tirhut Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Chandan Kumar Kushwaha said divers as well as personnel of the local police and the state disaster management force have been deployed for the search and rescue operation.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary expressed grief over the "loss of so many innocent lives" and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased.