Jabalpur, May 1: The death toll in the Bargi Dam cruise boat tragedy rose to nine on Friday as rescuers recovered five more bodies from the submerged vessel, while the search continues for six others still missing in the reservoir in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district, officials said.
While as many as 28 people have been rescued, teams from the Army, NDRF, and SDRF have intensified their search for missing persons within the wreckage, they said.
Talking to PTI Videos, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi said, “Four bodies were recovered on Thursday, while five were found during the rescue operation in the early hours of the day, taking the toll to nine.”
He said that a thorough probe will be conducted, and the issue of life jackets, raised by one of the survivors, will also be investigated.
The cruise boat overturned in the Bargi Dam, built on the Narmada River, after encountering a sudden storm on Thursday evening.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Jabalpur, Atul Singh, said some bodies are still suspected to be inside, but low visibility is making it difficult to determine the exact number.
Three major agencies, the Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), are working together in the search and rescue operations, he said.
Apart from this, the Water Resources and the Public Works departments, along with the construction agency at a nearby water plant, are also assisting with engineering work, the DIG said.
He noted that employees of a local construction agency were the first to respond at the site and played a key role in safely evacuating those who had escaped the cruise boat to shore.
Singh added that the sunken vessel will only be retrieved once the search inside is complete and the rescuers are sure that there are no more bodies.
According to eyewitnesses, strong winds made the water choppy, prompting many on board to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the boat back to the banks.
However, the crew was unable to hear these shouts, and the boat drifted and then overturned, they said, adding that some locals rescued a few passengers wearing life jackets with the help of a rope. (PTI)
