The accident took place at 11:55 a.m. when the boat was heading for Tikapur of Kailali from Bardiya. [break]
The boat was carrying 29 people, of which 25 have been rescued, according to Superintendent of Police Yogeshwar Romkhami of Kailali.
Those missing are Man Bahadur Tharu, 18, Tilu Thapa, 25, and 1-year-old Sobhan Thapa, while one person is yet to be identified, police said.
Locals blamed the negligence on the part of the concerned authorities saying they had been time and again warning the authorities about possibility of such accidents. They suspect the accident occurred due to the negligence of the contractors.
Contractor of Karnali Geruwa River in Kothiyaghat, Bishnu Rijal, meanwhile, said the accident took place because of increase in water flow after the river changed its course.
Police could not reach the site on time as it is 100 km away from the district headquarters Gulariya, locals said. Locals of Gola, Patabhar and Pashupatinagar were involved in the rescue operation throughout the day, local journalist Menaka Chaudharyi said.
Locals faced difficulty in rescuing the missing people as the local administration could not be informed about the accident for lack of telephone facility in the region.
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