Panic in Majuli as passenger ferry hits bridge pillar on Brahmaputra

Jorhat, June 22: Panic gripped commuters in Majuli after a passenger ferry collided with a bridge pillar on the Brahmaputra river on Sunday.

The incident occurred around 9.30 am when the ferry with, MV Indra, 40 passengers on board, en route from Afolamukh Ghat in Majuli to Nimatighat, lost control and struck a pillar of the under-construction bridge over the river.

According to sources in the Inland Water Transport (IWT) Department, the ferry was pushed off course by a strong river current, resulting in the collision. The impact caused several two-wheelers on board to topple, resulting in moderate to significant damage to the vehicles. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported.

The ferry was carrying 40 passengers and 18 motorcycles at the time of the incident. Passengers panicked as the vessel titled slightly due to the force of the impact.

“MV Indra left Afolamukh Ghat at 9:30 am with 40 passengers and 18 bikes. The current near the bridge was extremely strong, dragging the ferry towards on of the pillars. The rear portion of the vessel hit the structure, causing a few vehicles to fall, but thankfully, no one was injured,’ said an official from IWT department.

With the assistance of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the ferry was stabilised and escorted to Nimatighat, ensuring the safety of all passengers.

Earlier, on Saturday a passenger ferry named PL Digaru, carrying around 45 people and several vehicles, got stranded in the middle of the Brahmaputra River, while en route from Nimatighat to Kamalabari Ghat.

The ferry had departed Nimatighat at around 8:30 am and was just about a kilometer from Kamalabari Ghat when it got stuck on a sandbar in shallow water.

The ferry remained immobile for nearly 40 minutes, triggering panic among passengers on board.