A bag belonging to Indreswar Bora, who has been missing since the boat capsized in the Brahmaputra river near Nimati Ghat in Jorhat district, was recovered at Biswanath Ghat on Friday.
Indreswar Borah along with his wife Ruprekha from Rampur in Nowboicha area in Lakhimpur district was travelling in the ill fated boat on Wednesday after visiting the Dhekiakhowa Namghar.
His bag containing PAN, Aadhar Cards and Voter IDs of his wife was retrieved at Sowaguri near Biswanathghat in Biswanath district, said a police official.
Bora, a school teacher at Rajgarh High School rescued his wife Ruprekha and other fellow passengers to safety before going missing with the sinking vessel on the Brahmaputra.
According to his wife, who reached home on Thursday, Indreswar Borah had returned to the sinking ferry to rescue other trapped passengers.
The rescue operations by teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) continued for the third day in succession even as there were no signs of the two “missing” passengers–Indrajit Bora and Bikramjit Baruah.
“Three teams from 12 NDRF and one team from 1 NDRF are carrying out the operations but the missing persons are yet to be traced,” said an NDRF official.
“The teams are also taking the help of residents and boatmen of the area during the search. Helicopters have also been pressed into service during the search,” he said.
According to official sources, as many as 92 passengers were on board the boat, “Maa Kamala” when it collided with a ferry, MB Tipkai, operated by the inland water transport (IWT) coming from Kamalabari ghat in Majuli around 4.15 pm on Wednesday.
One passenger, Parimita Das, a teacher of Rangachahi College in Majuli, lost her life.