'It Was Very Windy, Boat Was Shaking': Eyewitnesses Recall Jabalpur Cruise Tragedy

Jabalpur: Search and rescue operations are underway at Bargi Dam in Jabalpur after a cruise boat capsized on Thursday, leaving four people dead, officials said.

According to authorities, 15 people have been rescued so far from the incident, while efforts are ongoing to trace others.

A survivor says, "...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..."

Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in the rescue operation at the site.

Jabalpur Collector Raghvendra Singh said that cruises operate in Bargi Dam for recreational activities and one such cruise capsized during the day.

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

Eyewitnesses claimed that strong winds may have contributed to the incident.

Samrat, an eyewitness, 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 capsized 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, 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 capsized. We helped a few people in coming out... I rescued 5-6 people."

Talking about the incident, Madhya Pradesh Deputy CM Rajendra Shukla said, "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".

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