Sixteen bodies were recovered from the Bhagirathi river by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel till 10am on Monday morning after a boat capsized on Saturday.

Burdwan district magistrate Saumitra Mohan told that the bodies of seven men, four women and a girl child were recovered during search operations since last night.

The bodies were found within 1-1.5 km radius of the spot where the overcrowded boat had capsized, he said.

The search is still on and more bodies could be recovered.

On Sunday, Burdwan district magistrate put the number of dead at five. “The boat was carrying about 50 passengers. About four-five passengers are missing. It was raining when the accident occurred and that hampered rescue efforts. Divers are searching for the missing passengers,” DM, Burdwan. Soumitra Mohan said on Sunday.

Relatives of the victims alleged that the administration was unprepared to handle the rush of people to the fair. They say the disaster could have been avoided if authorities were vigilant.

Most of those who boarded the boat were returning to Shantipur in Nadia district from a village fair called “Bhaba Paglar Mela” that was held in Kalna. They had to cross Bhagirathi river to go back home.

The angry mob set six boats on fire at Nrisinghapur Ghat in Shantipur. An assistant sub inspector Md Iliyas, was injured in the clash. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells to get the situation under control.

The Burdwan DM had said "overloading" was one of the suspected causes which led to the incident.