9 drown after cruise boat with 30 onboard sinks in Madhya Pradesh dam; rescue on
The vessel was navigating the water when it was suddenly struck by powerful winds, causing it to lose balance and sink.
A festive outing turned into a major disaster at Bargi Dam after a Madhya Pradesh state tourism department cruise, carrying 30 tourists, capsized in the Narmada River backwaters. According to initial reports, the vessel was navigating the water when it was suddenly struck by powerful winds, causing it to lose balance and sink, leading to the loss of nine lives.
The authorities said that the vessel sank as a sudden change in the weather was witnessed. The change led to windy conditions, and as a result, the vessel drowned.
However, it has come to light that the cruise was allowed to remain on the water even though the IMD had issued a yellow alert for Jabalpur. The forecast had predicted strong winds of 40–50 kilometres/hour, signalling a clear potential risk to the city and its waterways.
AUTHORITIES TOOK SWIFT ACTION
Following the accident, the emergency response teams were swiftly dispatched to the spot, and they rescued 15 people from the water. The teams worked under the supervision of the Jabalpur collector, Raghvendra Singh, and a senior police officer.
The officials confirmed to India Today that all the people who were rescued have been moved to local hospitals for treatment.
The state authorities also dispatched the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) along with other specialised rescue units, who are presently working hard to trace the other passengers who were onboard the vessel from the reservoir's backwaters. The search is underway to locate the remaining nine people.
A compensation of Rs 4 lakh has been announced for the families of each deceased.