At least six people, including four children, went missing after a machine-operated country boat sank in the Brahmaputra River in Barpeta district of Assam on Tuesday, officials said.

The police, civil administration and State Disaster Response Force personnel have started rescue with the help of locals.

According to Barpeta Revenue Circle Field Officer Jyotirmoy Choudhury, the accident took place when the boat was going to Borghul char (riverine vegetative islands) from Rahampur carrying 22 people.

“When the boat was sailing, it reportedly came into contact with a whirlpool and sank. Most of the people were rescued by a nearby boat,” he added.

However, six people are still missing and four of them are children, Choudhury said.

“The locals informed us that the boat was sailing without any safety measures. None of the passengers were wearing life jackets,” he added.

The official said the exact reason of the accident will be known after questioning the boatman, who is undergoing treatment.

The missing people have been identified as Madhu Mia (60), Sukurjan Nesa (45), Amina Parbin (8), Rahul Amin (7), Aryan Islam (4) and Junufa Yasmin (5), Choudhury said.