A tourist cruise boat carrying 22 people sank in Madhya Pradesh’s Bargi Dam on Narmada River. The tragedy unfolded near Khamariya Island in Jabalpur when the Madhya Pradesh Tourism-operated cruise, carrying 29 tourists, reportedly lost balance during a sudden storm and sank in the turbulent waters.
The weather was not suitable for operating the boat on the water. There were strong winds causing disturbances. The boat operators ignored these warnings. Moreover, the operators did not provide life jackets to passengers, which led to such a severe tragedy. When the boat sank, nobody was wearing a life jacket.
“The cruise had capsized, there was a sudden flood and the ship was filled with water. My mother and brother are missing, I found my grandfather,” said a survivor.
4 Dead, Many Missing As Cruise Boat With 31 On Board Sinks In Madhya Pradesh https://t.co/1Ta29g4W7d pic.twitter.com/OOMBbyRQlz
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According to officials, 15 tourists managed to swim to safety, battling rough waters in a desperate fight for survival. However, eight deaths have so far been confirmed, including two women, while 10 people remain missing, raising fears that the death count could rise further.
A video recorded moments before the cruise tragedy in Jabalpur has surfaced, raising serious safety concerns. The footage shows passengers on board without life jackets, pointing to apparent negligence.
#SHOCKING : Video Before Jabalpur Cruise Tragedy Surfaces, No Life Jackets Seen.
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A video recorded moments before the cruise tragedy in Jabalpur has surfaced, raising serious safety concerns.
The footage shows passengers onboard without life jackets, pointing to apparent… pic.twitter.com/7IEAkWsZpu
An image of a mother with her child is going viral on social media. The image shows how helpless she must have been and how negligence cost her life.
What Survivors said?
One survivor 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 …”
Another survivor, Sangeeta Kori from Delhi, alleged passengers were not asked to wear life jackets before the cruise began.
“No one was made to wear life jackets beforehand. When water started entering, they hurriedly distributed them, which caused chaos and people started snatching them. Then the cruise capsized. There was a lot of negligence. The pilot of the boat wasn’t listening at all. People from the village were shouting and signaling him to bring the cruise to a safer side, but he kept going the same way, which caused it to overturn suddenly. My brother broke open the storeroom and quickly threw life jackets to people,” she said.
“We were all sitting properly when suddenly strong winds started blowing, and heavy waves began rising. People from the nearby village were also warning the cruise operator to move towards the side as the weather had turned bad…But before anything could be done, water entered and the cruise overturned,” the survivor said.
What Government says?
The Madhya Pradesh government has initiated strict action against officials and staff following the deadly cruise capsize at Bargi Reservoir in Jabalpur that claimed nine lives, with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav saying the guilty “will not be spared under any circumstances”.
Using the tragedy as the basis for disciplinary action, the state government announced terminations, suspensions and an inquiry into alleged negligence in the handling of the cruise operation.
According to the Chief Minister’s statement, the services of cruise pilot Mahesh Patel, cruise helper Chhotelal Gond, and ticket counter in-charge (FOA) Brijendra have been terminated with immediate effect.
Tourism Minister Dharmendra Lodhi said life jackets are provided on the cruise and that there are regulations mandating passengers to wear them.
“Life jackets are provided on the cruise, and there is a clear provision requiring passengers to wear them. Now that allegations are being made, we will conduct an investigation to find out what led to this lapse. If any negligence is found, strict action will be taken against those responsible. This is truly a very tragic incident. Such incidents deeply move and shake us from within. It is important to ensure that incidents like this do not happen in the future. We will exercise full caution and set up an inquiry team to conduct a thorough investigation. If anyone is found negligent, the strictest possible action will be taken,” he said.
A compensation of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) will be given to the families of those who died. The injured will be given Rs 50,000.
