Deaths in Jabalpur cruise boat tragedy rise to 11, bodies of 2 more children found

The death toll in the Bargi Dam cruise boat tragedy in Jabalpur rose to 11 after two boys' bodies were recovered on Saturday. The accident has intensified the search for the missing and scrutiny of boating safety and alleged negligence.

In Short

• More than 200 rescuers, including Army divers, joined deep-water search efforts
• Strong winds briefly disrupted operations on Saturday morning before teams resumed
• Police confirmed 41 passengers onboard, while CCTV showed 43 approaching

The death toll in the Bargi Dam cruise boat tragedy in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district climbed to 11 on Saturday evening after the bodies of two young boys were recovered, while search operations continue for the missing.

The boat, operated by the state tourism department, capsized on Thursday evening during a storm, triggering one of the worst recent boating accidents in the region.

The bodies recovered on Saturday have been identified as Viraj Soni, 6, and Tamil, 5, according to Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Anjul Ayank Mishra.

Tamil’s father Kamraj, who works at the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, and his nephew Mayuram, 5, are still missing.

Officials said the identity of Viraj Soni will be confirmed after formal identification by family members.

MASSIVE SEARCH OPERATION UNDERWAY

More than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, have been deployed in the ongoing search operation.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and local divers resumed operations early Saturday morning, though strong winds briefly disrupted efforts around 9 am.

The search radius has been expanded to five kilometres as divers attempt to trace those still unaccounted for in deep waters.

PASSENGER DETAILS AND RESCUE NUMBERS

Police said 41 passengers were identified on board the ill-fated vessel, out of which 28 were rescued alive.

CCTV footage from the boarding point reportedly showed 43 people moving towards the boat, though identities of 41 have been confirmed so far.

SAFETY QUESTIONS RAISED BY SURVIVORS

Some survivors have alleged negligence, claiming life jackets were not distributed in time before the vessel capsized during the storm.

The incident has triggered scrutiny over safety measures followed by the state tourism department’s boating operations.

GOVERNMENT ACTION AND PROBE ORDERED

Post-mortem examinations of nine bodies have been completed so far.

The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident and dismissed three crew members involved in operating the vessel. Similar boats have also been banned across the state.

Authorities said an FIR will be registered soon as investigations continue.

“Our priority is to search for the missing persons,” SDOP Anjul Ayank Mishra said, adding that efforts are being intensified with additional equipment for deep-water recovery operations.

- Ends
With inputs from Dhiraj Shah