Boat capsizes on Ganges, 20 dead

An overcrowded boat capsized in the Ganges River in northern India, leaving at least 20 people dead and 60 missing, a government official said today.

The 50-seat boat was carrying about 100 people when it sank last night in the middle of the river, said Anil Kumar, a top government administrator in Balia district, where the accident occurred.

Some 20 people swam safely to shore, while the others were feared dead, Kumar said. Police divers had recovered 20 bodies and were searching for the others, he said.

The cause of the accident was being investigated.

The victims were mostly farm labourers who were returning from work.

Balia is 230 miles southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh State.