Murshidabad: Three persons were drowned after their car fell into the Bhagirathi River in West Bengal's Murshidabad district this morning, police said.
The mishap occurred at around 9 am at Sadarghat in Lalbagh when the car was being ferried on a boat to cross the river. Suddenly, the car fell into the Bhagirathi River. There were seven passengers, including the driver in the car. Four of the passengers were rescued but remaining three got drowned and were fished out from the water by local sailors.
Seeing the car fall into the water, some sailors who were standing on the river bank dived into the river. After a two-hour effort, four passengers were rescued by breaking the car window panes but three others died on the spot.
On getting information about the incident, a team from Murshidabad police rushed to the spot. It has been learned that the car was on way to Kiriteshwari. Eyewitness Rinku Gorai said, "The boat was very crowded during the morning rush hour. The car was on the boat and one side of the boat had almost tilted due to the weight of the passengers. Due to overload, the car slipped and plunged into the river. Somehow sailors who were present at the bank rescued four people but three drowned."
The incident triggered panic among local residents. Locals also expressed their anger at the administration for not taking necessary safety measures. They complained of a serious lack of security for passengers who cross the river. Earlier, two persons had died after a car drowned in the river but even after that the administration did not wake up, locals alleged.
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