Patna, Jun 16 (PTI) Four persons are still missing, while 13 have been rescued following the boat tragedy near Umanath Ganga ghat in Barh sub-division of Patna district on Sunday morning, officials said.

"So far, 13 people have been rescued, including those who managed to swim to the banks. Rescue operation is still on to trace the four missing persons," Patna district administration said in a statement.

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"The mishap took place around 9.15 am near Umanath Ganga ghat when the boat carrying 17 people, mostly belonging to a Nalanda-based family, capsized midway. While 13 people have been rescued so far, four are still missing," Shubham Kumar, Barh sub-divisional magistrate told reporters.

"Search operations to trace the four missing persons is continuing. They have been identified as Avdesh Kumar (60), Hardev Prasad (65), Nitish Kumar (30) and a 45-year-old woman," Kumar said.

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"The district administration has engaged personnel of the state disaster relief force and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to trace the missing persons," the SDM added.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has instructed officials to intensify their search operations to trace the missing persons.

According to a statement by the CMO, "The CM has categorically instructed officials to continue search operations till the missing persons are found".

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)