Over 500 evacuated following twin ferry groundings in eastern India

The Indian Coast Guard successfully evacuated the occupants of two passenger ferries that ran aground in the eastern state of West Bengal on Monday, January 16.

The ferries Lcchamati and Agramati were transporting a total of 511 passengers when they came to rest on a shallow area in the waters off the town of Kakdwip at around 09:15 local time on Monday.

Initial reports stated that the ferries were sailing through the area at around low tide, resulting in their grounding.

The coast guard subsequently deployed two hovercraft with rescue teams to evacuate the stranded passengers and crew. No serious injuries have been reported.

Many of the 511 passengers were pilgrims who had just visited a religious site in Gangasagar.

Click here to read other news stories, features, opinion articles, and vessel reviews as part of this month’s Passenger Vessel Week.