Wind picks up, pleas ignored: Boat capsises in minutes at Bargi Dam – Eyewitnesses recall horror

Officials said that 29 people were on board when the boat capsised in the Madhya Pradesh’s dam. So far, 15 people have been rescued, and the bodies of four victims have been found. The search is still on for others who may be missing.

Jabalpur: What started as a routine outing at Bargi Dam turned into a rescue scene within minutes on Thursday (April 30), after a cruise boat carrying nearly 30 people overturned in the water. Four people have died, while several others were pulled out alive as rescue teams continued their search late into the day.

Officials said that 29 people were on board when the boat capsised. So far, 15 people have been rescued, and the bodies of four victims have been found. The search is still on for others who may be missing.

Jabalpur Collector Raghvendra Singh said that cruise boats operate regularly at Bargi Dam as part of recreational activities and one such boat met with the accident during the day.

“Cruises operate in Bargi Dam for recreational activities. One of the cruises capsised today. Of the 29 people onboard, 15 were safely rescued. Bodies of four people have been traced. We have sent the bodies for postmortem. The SDRF and the NDRF are here and carrying out the operation. Rescue operation is ongoing,” he said.

Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached the spot soon after the incident and began rescue work. Officials said divers and rescue personnel are scanning the area to trace those still unaccounted for.

Eyewitnesses describe moments before the boat overturned

People who were present near the dam said the weather had turned rough before the accident. Strong winds picked up and the water became choppy, making it difficult for the boat to keep balance.

One Samrat, who witnessed the incident, said, “It was really windy. We told the boat operator to come to the other end, but he paid no heed. It started for the other side but capsised in the middle of the dam. A few people in life jackets jumped off the boat... We safely rescued about 15-16 people... We rushed them to the hospital. The bodies were taken away.”

Another eyewitness, Tuhin, shared a similar account. He said, “We were sitting here after having a meal. It was windy. The boat was shaking. People told the boat operator to pull the boat to our side and anchor it here. But he paid no heed. He took the boat in the middle of the water once again, and it capsised. We helped a few people in coming out... I rescued 5-6 people.”

Eyewitnesses said that some passengers managed to jump into the water wearing life jackets, which helped them keep afloat until help arrived. Local people and others present at the spot also joined the rescue efforts before official teams reached.

Probe ordered into the incident

Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla described the incident as tragic and said that a detailed investigation would be carried out.

“This is a heart-rending and unfortunate incident... SDRF and Police team are present... A probe will be done to find out the causes behind the incident...,” he said.

Authorities said that all bodies recovered have been sent for postmortem. Officials are also looking into weather conditions, safety measures on board and the sequence of events that led to the boat overturning.