Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati

Guwahati, Dec 11: A search operation is underway after five members of a nine-member group went missing in the Brahmaputra River near Kharghuli on Wednesday afternoon.

According to locals, the group had visited Bhakti Kutir, a Krishna temple situated close to the riverbank, before the incident took place. Around 12:50 pm, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) received an emergency call alerting them that several people had been swept away.

An NDRF officer said the caller reported that eight to nine people were present and four to five had disappeared in the water. “Soon after receiving the information, our team reached the spot with four boats and began a search and rescue operation,” the officer told reporters at the site.

He confirmed that three individuals managed to swim back to safety, while another was rescued by NDRF personnel. “Five persons are still missing. A sudden change in the river’s water level is suspected to have triggered the incident,” he added.

Rescue teams have recovered bags and other belongings of the missing persons along the riverbank. Authorities said most of the group members hail from outside Assam. The search operation is continuing with NDRF and local agencies coordinating efforts.