Jabalpur/Bhopal, May 1: Rescuers recovered five more bodies from Jabalpur district’s Bargi Dam, where a cruise boat capsized, taking the toll to nine on Friday, while a frantic search continued for six tourists still missing as the Madhya Pradesh government ordered a probe into the tragedy that raised questions about safety lapses.
While as many as 28 tourists were rescued, teams from the Army, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) intensified their search for the missing persons in the dam reservoir, where the MP tourism department operated boat overturned on Thursday, officials said.
“Our relief and rescue teams have safely evacuated approximately 29 people. The rescue operation is still going on, and nine bodies have been recovered from the Bargi Dam so far,” Chief Minister Mohan Yadav told reporters in Bhopal.
Four boat passengers drowned on Thursday.
The MP government ordered a probe into the cruise boat accident at the Bargi Dam, built on the Narmada River, and banned the operation of such vessels in the state.
Yadav, while offering condolences to the families of the victims, said locals who risked their lives to save tourists during the accident will be honoured on Independence Day for their bravery.
The CM said the tourism department will investigate the accident caused by a seasonal cyclone to prevent such incidents in the future.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the tragedy and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Modi, in a post on ‘X’, said, “The loss of lives due to the capsizing of a boat in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, is extremely painful. I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this tragic mishap. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. The local administration is assisting those affected.”
The ill-fated cruise boat, which overturned after encountering a sudden storm on Thursday evening, has been retrieved from the dam water, and no one was found inside, an official said.
Jabalpur City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Anjul Aayan Mishra said a search was on to trace the six persons still missing.
Meanwhile, Yadav reached Jabalpur and visited the house of a person who was saved on Thursday night by rescuers from the capsized boat after they made a hole in the vessel.
He narrated his ordeal to the CM in the presence of other ministers and local MLAs.
Leader of Opposition in Assembly Umang Singhar also visited the dam site and alleged that the tragedy took place because of the negligence of the tourism department.
The Congress MLA said no meteorological instruments were installed at the dam site to know the weather in advance.
“It is a serious lapse on the part of the administration that they are operating a cruise boat without having the mandatory weather instruments,” the Opposition leader maintained.
Singhar demanded a thorough probe into the accident.
Earlier, talking to PTI Videos, 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 a thorough probe will be conducted, and the issue of life jackets, raised by a survivor, will be investigated.
Deputy Inspector General (Jabalpur), Atul Singh, said the Army, NDRF and SDRF were working together in the search and rescue operation.
Apart from them, Water Resources and Public Works departments, along with a construction agency at a nearby water plant, are assisting in the operation, the DIG said.
He noted that employees of the local construction agency were the first responders and played a key role in safely evacuating those who had escaped from the overturned boat and reached the shore.
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 river 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.
A survivor alleged negligence by the crew and described a last-minute scramble for life jackets as the boat started capsizing.
Talking to PTI Videos, Delhi-resident Sangeeta Kori, who was among those rescued, claimed the vessel was carrying nearly 40 people — including children without tickets — and that the driver ignored warnings from locals to steer toward safety as the weather suddenly changed.
According to officials, the cruise boat had 29 passengers onboard and two crew members.
“Six of us had come from Delhi to visit Jabalpur. Around 4 pm, we decided on a whim to go to the Bargi Dam. Around 6 pm, the cruise was returning when the winds became strong, and water started entering the boat,” Kori said with tears in her eyes.
According to her, lack of preparedness and negligence led to the tragedy.
“None of the passengers had worn life jackets. They were just kept somewhere inside. When the water started filling, they tried to distribute them, but it led to panic and scuffles. Within moments, the boat tipped over,” she recalled.
Kori, who managed to survive by grabbing a jacket, alleged the operator’s greed for money outweighed passenger safety.
“Locals were shouting from the bank and signalling the operator to steer the boat to safety, but he didn’t listen,” she said, adding the tragedy could have been averted if the boat had been diverted in time. (PTI)
