Sheopur: At least 7 people drowned in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district after a boat with 11 people aboard capsized in Seep River on Saturday evening due to strong winds. The incident took place at around 4.45 pm on Saturday, following which the local police, a team of deep-divers along with the officials of the district administration rushed to the spot and a rescue operation was initiated.

According to the information, as many as 4 people were rescued from the river and were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Further 6 people were retrieved from the river in an unconscious state, while one person is reported to be missing, for whom a search operation is underway.

One person is still missing and search is underway to trace him, says police official

According to the officials present at the spot, there were 11 people on the boat that capsized in the river. Out of 11, six were pulled out of the river, but were found unresponsive. Four others were rescued and shifted to hospital. One person is reported to be missing and a search operation is being carried out to trace him.

An official confirmed that a swift rescue operation aided by the State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) team is underway.

The locals present at the spot claimed that strong winds contributed to the incident, which occurred around 4:45 pm in the Manpur area, approximately 40 km from the district headquarters.

Superintendent of Police (SP, Sheopur) Abhishek Anand confirmed the incident, saying, “The seven deceased comprise five children in the 4-15 age group, a 35-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman. The deceased are local residents.”

The deceased were on their way to a nearby village to mourn the death of a person, says the police official.

"Local residents have told us a storm or a whirlpool may have toppled the boat. Survivors have said there were 11 persons in the boat. However, a team of the State Disaster Response Force is still camping at the site," he added.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has expressed grief over the incident and instructed the concerned officials to carry out search and rescue operations on a war footing and also directed state energy minister Pradyuman Singh Tomar to rush to the site.