Patna: Two women were feared killed when a boat capsized in the Ganga near Fatuha in Patna district on Wednesday as a group was crossing the river to take a dip on the occasion of Magh Purnima.

The women have been identified as Rita Devi and Jira Devi.

The incident occurred around 10.30am near Mastana Ghat when their boat had travelled just around 100 metres into the river.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar, who was in New Delhi, expressed grief over the tragedy and called up Patna district magistrate (DM) Kumar Ravi to take stock of the situation. The chief minister directed the DM to expedite rescue and relief operations and also disburse Rs 4 lakh compensation to the next of the kin of the two deceased.

Ravi said there were nine passengers on the ill-fated boat.

"Three persons swam to safety, while four persons, including three women and a girl, were rescued by the local boatmen," the DM said.

He added that the four rescued persons have been admitted to the primary health centre at Fatuha for treatment, and their condition is said to be out of danger.

A huge crowd of local residents from the nearby villagers rushed to the riverbank soon after news of the incident spread.

The crowd was still there till the evening, while the district administration deputed the Patna City sub-divisional officer and the Fatuha sub-divisional police officer along with a police force to lead the search and rescue mission.

A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team also reached the mishap spot and launched operations to search for the two women.

Sources said that the boat that capsized was not registered with the government and did not have any lifesaving devices such as lifejackets, tubes, or buoys onboard.

Six persons, women and children, had died in a boat tragedy in Fatuha on November 5 last year.