• Source:JND

The death toll in the cruise boat capsizing incident at Bargi Dam in Jabalpur reportedly rose to nine on Friday. The officials stated that the search and rescue operation is underway at the site, adding that 22 tourists have been rescued so far.

A video has surfaced of the cruise liner struggling against heavy winds and a turbulent sea before capsizing. The video shows the boat losing stability and toppling over, sending people into the dam's storage area.

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The cruise ship, which was owned by Madhya Pradesh's tourism department, sank on Thursday night in the reservoir at Bargi Dam, close to Jabalpur. Of those rescued, 17 have been admitted to the hospital. Six people remain missing. 

Multi-Agency Rescue Operation Underway

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.

Commandant, Home Guard SDRF, Neeraj Singh Rajput, said teams worked continuously despite difficulties.

"The situation here is difficult. Last night it was rainy and dark, so the rescue operation faced some difficulties, but we continued with the help of lights and other equipment. Today, NDRF and Army teams arrived, after which we recovered 5 bodies. A total of 9 bodies have been recovered so far," he said.

Tourism Minister Orders Detailed Investigation

State Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi said a detailed inquiry will be conducted into the incident.

“Four bodies were recovered on Thursday, while five more were found during the rescue operation on Friday, taking the toll to nine,” he said.

He also stated that concerns raised by survivors, including the availability of life jackets and safety measures on board, will be thoroughly examined as part of the investigation.

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The survivors have alleged that even basic safety standards were not followed by the authorities, adding that the tourists distributed the life jackets by themselves."Tourists were crammed onto the boat so tightly that not a single life jacket was visible. Children were running around unchecked, and the boat's railing was so low that anyone could easily tumble over it," a tourist said. 

"My son and wife are missing. I got hurt when the mirror on the cruise boat broke after hitting a wave. The staff did not provide us with life jackets; we arranged them and distributed them ourselves," a survivor was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.


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