Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has expressed grief over the death of two persons in a boat tragedy in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district today.

The Chief Minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased persons.

Two persons died and six others went missing after a boat capsized in Hirakud dam in the afternoon today.

There were around 50 passengers in the boat. The local fishermen managed to rescue over 40 passengers.

All the passengers were from neighbouring Chhattisgarh. They were on their way to Ambavona block of Odisha when the incident took place.

The Chief Minister also directed the officials to send five scuba divers and two search cameras to Jharsuguda to trace the missing persons.

Besides, the Chief Minister asked Chief Secretary PK Jena and Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu for proper coordination for the rescue operation and quick medical treatment for the missing persons upon their rescue from the dam.