Mumbai, January 15: In a tragic incident from North Maharashtra, a boat carrying over 60 people capsized on Tuesday in Narmada river of Nandurbar district. At least 6 were confirmed dead, whereas, 36 others were successfully rescued by the locals and emergency workers. The rescue operation to save the remainder among the victims is currently underway.

The ill-fated boat was carrying villagers from the local tribal hamlets to a location where they perform the special river puja every on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The 36 who have been rescued have been sent to the nearest hospital. The officials were yet to confirm whether they are out of danger. Kendrapara Boat Capsize Death Toll Rises to 9, Odisha Govt Announces Rs 4 lakh Ex-Gratia to Deceased's Kin.

The six villagers, who have died in the boat-capsizing incident, hailed from villages along the river in the tribal-dominated district, police said.

An official monitoring the rescue operation told reporters that the accident appears to have occured as the the boat was carrying more number of people than its capacity. A probe, however, would be undertaken to ascertain the exact cause of the fatal incident.

In Nandurbar, boats are commonly used for commutation, as the tribal hamlets are based around the river Narmada, making it infeasible for the administration to lay a network of roads.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 15, 2019 06:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).