Boat capsizes crossing river in northern India, three killed, 17 missing

Seventeen are reported missing after the overcrowded boat sank in the rain-swollen waters of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh

An overloaded boat carrying dozens of passengers capsized in northern India, killing three people, including one child, while another 17 were missing and feared dead, a senior police official in Uttar Pradesh state said on Friday.

Rescue workers were still scouring the rain-swollen waters of the Yamuna river for survivors almost 24 hours after the calamity struck on Thursday, but prospects of finding anyone else alive were bleak, officials said.

"Two bodies of women and one child were recovered in the rescue operation being handled by the police force, local divers and state disaster relief force," Prashant Kumar, additional director general Law and Order, said.

Fifteen passengers were rescued, Kumar said. A local police officer said the boat was overcrowded with more than 30 people aboard.