3 women drown in Deepor Beel

Guwahati, Nov 20: Three women were drowned on Friday when the boat in which they were travelling capsized in Deepor Beel, a wetland on the outskirts of Guwahati city in Assam. Police said they were among seven women who had gone on a small boat for fishing in the wetland on Friday morning. When the boat capsized, four women maged to swim to the bank. The bodies of the three women were later fished out with the help of locals, police said.  Police said the women hailed from Mikirgaon area near Chaygaon in Kamrup district. Deepor Beel is a Ramsar site and a bird sanctuary. Though the government has prohibited fishing in the bird sanctuary, locals often catch fish in the fringe areas of the wetland for livelihood. (IANS)