SURI: A major disaster was averted on Wednesday when a speedboat carrying MPs Asit Mal and Samirul Islam, MLA Abhijit Sinha and Birbhum DM Bidhan Ray capsized in floodwater. The lawmakers and the DM were inspecting flood-affected areas in Labhpur. They were rescued by SDRF.
The inspecting team was in Balarampur to assess the extent of damage caused by a breach in the embankment of the Kuye river when the boat overturned. No member of the team was wearing a life jacket, in a breach of norms. After the rescue, Mal said: "I know how to swim but the current was strong and I was in shock. I had held on to the branch of a tree and it was sheer luck that we did not drift away."
Fifteen villages in Birbhum's Labhpur are submerged and many people are stranded. Communication between six to seven villages has completely been cut off. The Kuye is flowing much above the danger level. Roy, SP Rajnarayan Mukhopadhyay, and the lawmakers had all boarded an SDRF speedboat to reach out to the people trapped in these villages. The speedboat, carrying as many as 13 people, could not handle the strong current, an official said. Everyone except the SP was flung into the river.
Local people quickly moved to rescue the administrative officials. Upon receiving the news, an SDRF team rushed to the scene. The district administration has initiated a probe to determine the cause of the accident.
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