Bhagalpur (Bihar), Aug 24 (PTI) A senior engineer of Bihar Water Resources Department on Saturday fell in the Ganga river while he was travelling in a boat to inspect an embankment in Bhagalpur district and he was rescued by NDRF personnel, an official said.

Water Resources Department's Katihar Zone Chief Engineer Anwa Jamil was on the motor boat of the National Disaster Response Force when the accident took place.

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He was travelling to inspect the repair work of the 8.26-km-long Ismailpur-Bindtoli embankment.

The embankment was breached by river water on August 20, causing a flood in Karari Teentanga, Budhchak and other surrounding areas in the Gopalpur division of Bhagalpur.

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According to eyewitnesses, the accident took place in the morning when Jamil along with other officials of the department and a few National Disaster Response Force personnel was inspecting the repair work of the embankment.

He suddenly fell into the river from the motor boat and was immediately rescued by the NDRF personnel, they said.

Soon after the accident, Jamil told reporters, "I got another life today. I am thankful to the NDRF personnel who immediately rescued me when I fell from the motor boat during inspection."

Another official said the repair work of the damaged embankment is going on and will be completed very soon.

"Due to incessant rain, the water level in the river rose, which exerted pressure on the structure along the river bank in Bhagalpur district. Around 60 metres of the Ismailpur-Bindtoli embankment got damaged on August 20," said the senior official of the Water Resources Department.

(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)