18 bodies recovered after boat capsizal in India

Rescue teams have recovered bodies of 18 people from a river in India's eastern state of West Bengal after an overcrowded boat capsized in it, officials said Monday.

The boat capsized on Saturday night in the river Bhagirathi (Hooghly) at Burdwan district, about 102 km north of Kolkata city, the capital of west Bengal.

"We have completed the rescue operations today and recovered bodies of 18 missing people," District Magistrate Burdwan,Saumitra Mohan told Xinhua over telephone.

According to Mohan, the boat capsized near the bank after people jumped in it.

"When people rushed into it, it became unstable and sank just near the bank," he said.

The people, according to officials, were locals, who had come to attend a local fair.

A disaster management official in Burdwan, Mrityunjoy Halder said about 80 people were on board, when it capsized.

"The boat was over crowded much beyond its carrying capacity at the time of its capsizal," Halder said.

Locals said the ill-fated boat was a motorized country made vessel, locally known as trawler.

Following its capsizal, several passengers were rescued by bystanders and other ferry workers, the residents said. Endit