Five people, including four children and a woman, drowned after a boat capsized in the Yamuna river in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district, while an 11-year-old boy remains missing, police said on Thursday. The tragic incident took place near Kutubpur Patiya hamlet under Bhauli gram panchayat in the Kurara police station area and has triggered grief across the region.

According to officials, the accident occurred on Wednesday evening when a group of villagers was returning from a river island in a small boat. Police said there were nine passengers on board besides the boatman. At around 7 pm, while crossing the Yamuna river, the boat reportedly lost balance in the middle of the water and overturned suddenly, throwing everyone into the river. The strong current and difficult weather conditions made rescue efforts challenging.

The boatman, identified as Dheeru, managed to rescue three passengers — Vishnu, Rinku, and Parul — shortly after the boat capsized. However, six others, including five children and a woman, went missing in the river. The missing persons were identified as Akanksha (9), Rani (9), Brijrani (25), Labhyansh (5), Mahesh (6), and Aditya (11). Local residents and police teams immediately launched a search operation after the incident was reported.

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Rescue teams continued operations through the night and into Thursday despite heavy rain in the area. Authorities later recovered the bodies of Akanksha, Rani, Brijrani, Labhyansh, and Mahesh from different points along the riverbank. Officials said the search for 11-year-old Aditya is still underway. Divers and local rescue personnel have been deployed to trace the missing child, though adverse weather and rising river levels have slowed the operation.

Station House Officer Brijesh Kumar said continuous rainfall since Thursday morning has complicated rescue efforts. He added that teams are working round the clock to locate the missing boy and ensure support for the affected families. Police officials are also gathering details about the boat, its condition, and whether safety measures were in place at the time of the accident.

The incident has once again highlighted concerns over river transport safety in rural parts of Uttar Pradesh, particularly during the monsoon season when water levels rise and currents become unpredictable. Small boats are frequently used by villagers to travel between river islands and nearby settlements, often without adequate safety equipment such as life jackets or regulated passenger limits. Similar accidents have occurred in several northern Indian states in recent years, prompting repeated demands for stricter monitoring of local ferry operations.Local authorities are expected to review the circumstances surrounding the accident and examine whether negligence or overloading contributed to the tragedy. Meanwhile, grief-stricken relatives gathered near the riverbank as rescue operations continued, hoping for news of the missing child.

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