Distressed To Learn About Loss of Lives in Odisha Boat Tragedy: President Murmu

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday said she is distressed to learn about the loss of lives in a boat accident in Odisha and offered her condolences to the bereaved families.

The death toll in the boat capsize incident in the Mahanadi river in Odisha's Jharsuguda district rose to seven with the recovery of five more bodies on Saturday, an official said.

Around 50 people from Kharsia in neighbouring Chhattisgarh were returning in the boat after visiting a temple in the Patharseni Kuda area of Odisha's Bargarh district.

"Distressed to learn that the capsize of a boat in the Mahanadi river near Jharsuguda, Orissa, led to the loss of many lives. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for a speedy recovery of all those affected by the tragedy," Murmu said in a post on X.

Earlier, district authorities said that the incident will be probed but at present, priority was to rescue the missing persons.