Kolkata, Jan 3 (IANS) Around 16 people, including 8 children, were missing after a boat carrying a picnic party capsized in Rupnarayan river in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district Sunday, police said.
According to the latest information with the police control room, 20 had been rescued and 16 - 8 minors and 8 adults - were still missing.

Earlier, East Midnapore district Superintendent of Police Bastab Baidya told IANS that 15 people, a majority of them children, were are still to be traced.

“Some of those who had fallen into the river have been rescued,” he said but could not give the exact figure of those who had boarded the boat or had swum to safety.

The picnickers from Ultadanga in the northern part of the city were having a joyride on the boat when it capsized.

According to district police sources, the Coast Guard and the disaster management team of Kolkata Police have been called to launch rescue operations.

“Kolkata Police’s disaster management team has already started heading for the destination. A team of Coast Guard will also arrive at the spot shortly (by Sunday night),” a district police officer said, adding another team from Coast Guard will come to carry out the rescue operation Monday morning.

“We are now carrying out search operation with our exiting speed boats and launches. But it’s really difficult for us to find out the victims as it is already dark now,” he said.

Eyewitnesses said rescue work was hampered in the absence of divers as the state river traffic policemen could not contact those on their payroll.

Local residents alleged that no steps were taken to help the victims after the over-laden boat capsized in the river.

“We have made some arrangement for the picnickers at our club house and also deployed a few local youths in the search operation. We are trying to provide all kinds of help to the victims’ families,” an eyewitness said.

“The rescue operation will continue for the whole night,” a police officer said.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee who reached the spot, along with other leaders of her Trinamool Congress including union Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy and Minister of State for Rural Development Sisir Adhikari, slammed the state government for its tardy response to the tragedy.

“It is already too late. If the rescue operations had been launched earlier, more people could have been saved,” she said. She alleged the state government had no disaster management plan.