With the recovery of three more bodies, the death toll in the boat mishap in the swollen Kosi river in Supaul district has climbed to 28, a senior official said on Thursday.
The three bodies were recovered on Wednesday night by local divers, while search was on to locate 22 missing persons, the deputy development commissioner, Mr Jung Bahadur, told PTI.
In addition to the local divers, those from the National Disaster Response Force have also been pressed into service to trace the missing persons, he said.
The cremation expenses of the victims would be borne by the state government under the Kabir Cremation Scheme.
The country boat, ferrying 50 passengers for a 'Shradh' ceremony, was caught in a whirlpool near Hari panchayat area and sank on Wednesday.