A routine flood inspection turned into a life-threatening incident in Birbhum’s Labhpur when a speedboat carrying two MPs, an MLA, and the district magistrate overturned in the river. The incident took place while the officials, including Bolpur MP Asit Mal, Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, and MLA Abhijit Sinha, were inspecting flood-affected areas in Labhpur, Balrampur, and nearby villages. A total of 12 people, including government officials, were onboard the boat when it capsized.
Disaster management teams rushed to the scene upon receiving the alert, and after a tense few moments, all the officials were successfully rescued with the help of local residents.
The region has been grappling with severe flooding due to continuous rainfall over the past few days, which has caused water levels to rise in multiple rivers. The situation worsened as the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) released additional water, leading to widespread disruption in South Bengal, including Birbhum. Roads and bridges are submerged, and crops have been damaged.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited flood-affected areas, inspecting the situation in Puresura and Ghatal, where she described the flooding as a “man-made disaster” and criticized DVC for water mismanagement. The inspection comes amid ongoing efforts by the state to mitigate the flood crisis.