It is said that the incident occurred when the engine of the boat developed a snag and hit a rock near the bank of the Ashwaklanta Temple in the Brahmaputra river around 2 pm.
Police, SDRF teams rushed to the spot and were able to rescue some to the shore. The State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) and NDRF personnel have recovered one body so far, Kamrup Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kumar Baishya said, adding that rescue operations were underway.
Witnesses say that they saw several passengers from the ferry trying to swim to the shore. They also claim that there were several women and children among the passengers.
It is also reported that only 22 passengers had valid tickets and the boat was overcrowded, with 18 motorcycles on it, Baishya, who was supervising the rescue operations at the site