Guwahati, Jan 27 (IANS): Four persons, including two children, drowned after a boat capsized in the Brahmaputra river in eastern Assam's Jorhat district, officials said on Wednesday. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered.

Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Roshni Aparanji Korati said that the mishap occurred on Tuesday when 14 persons out on a picnic went for a ride on a small country boat, which capsized probably due to overloading.

Onlookers rescued 10 passengers and took them to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital. The bodies of four missing persons were recovered by the state Disaster Response Force personnel near Baghmora picnic spot.

The deceased were identified as Paban Rai, 30, Rajiya Tigula, 24, Sahil Chauhan, 15, and Sufiyan Chauhan, 9.

"A magisterial inquiry report will be submitted within 15 days," Korati told IANS on phone.

Area people alleged that boatmen occasionally overload their boats with visitors without taking adequate safety measures.

The Brahmaputra, the 9th largest river in the world, flows through Tibet, India and Bangladesh and is famous for its strong water current.