More than 100 killed after ferry capsizes in India
A ferry carrying some 250 people has capsized and sunk in north-eastern India, leaving at least 103 passengers dead and another 100 missing.
The double-decker vessel was transporting passengers on the fast-flowing Brahmaputra river in Assam state in heavy winds and rain when the accident occurred late Monday in the remote district of Dhubri, according to the BBC.
Rahul Karmakar, a witness to the accident, told the Agence France Presse: “I could see people being swept away as the river current was very strong.”
Fifty people reportedly made it to safety before the boat went down.
Police and paramilitary soldiers have been sent to help with rescue efforts, according to the Associated Press.
Boats are common form of transportation in India’s rural region, and lax safety standards and overcrowding mean that accidents are common.
More from GlobalPost: Passenger ferry sinks in Bangladesh, 66 dead, dozens missing (VIDEO)
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