Six rescued, two went missing after launch capsized in West Bengal's Malda

Six people were rescued and two went missing after a launch capsized in Ganga river in Malda district of West Bengal on Monady evening, said District Magistrate (DM) Rajarshi Mitra.

A search operation is underway.

Malda Zilla Parishad Sabhadhipati Gaur Chandra Mondal visited the ghat at Mkchak near where the incident occurred around 7 pm on Monday.

"The Mkchak ghat is maintained by Malda Zilla Parishad. According to the local people, the launch, loaded with eight trucks, came from Rajmahal ghat of Jharkhand. During the time of unloading of the trucks at the Mkchak ghat, the launch capsized in the river Ganga due to some unknown reason. As a result, initially, eight people went missing, along with the eight trucks," Mondal said.

The Malda administration has started an enquiry into the cause of the incident, he added.

( With inputs from ANI )