A cruise boat run by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department suddenly capsized in the Bargi Dam on the Narmada River in Jabalpur on Thursday evening. At least 9 people have died in this accident. There were a total of 43 passengers on board the boat, including crew members. At around 6 in the evening the weather suddenly became very bad. Strong storm and storm started coming. The wind speed reached 60 to 70 kilometers per hour. Due to such strong wind, big waves started rising in the water of the Narmada River dam. The boat got hit by these strong winds and waves. The boat became unstable, lost its balance and suddenly overturned. When the boat was overturning, there was panic among the passengers and screams started everywhere. People started trying to save themselves.
rescue operations
Immediately after the accident, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), state disaster management teams and people of local administration started rescue operations. Search and rescue operations were carried out till late Thursday night and also on Friday. The death toll increased to 9 after some more bodies were recovered on Friday. Some people are still reported missing.
Passenger charges
Many survivors have raised questions about the security arrangements. He says that life jacket was not given while boarding the boat. It was only when the boat started sinking and chaos broke out that life jackets were distributed. One person, Julius, told that he had lost his wife in this accident. His daughter and grandson are still missing. He said, ‘There were no concrete security arrangements. The jacket was given only when the boat started sinking. Samrat, another survivor, said that strong winds were blowing even before the storm hit. He had requested the boat driver to return, but the driver did not listen to him. The boat overturned in the middle of the dam. He told that together they helped in saving about 15-16 people.
Government response
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has expressed grief over this accident. He said that the rescue work is being carried out rapidly. The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the family of each deceased. Apart from this, the government has ordered a thorough investigation into the entire incident. The investigation will see that:
Were safety rules followed?
Why was the boat not stopped despite bad weather?
Why was the life jacket not given at the right time?
Bargi Dam is a famous tourist destination located about 40 kilometers from Jabalpur. Tourists like cruise boat trip on Narmada river here, but this incident has exposed the shortcomings of security. The search for some people is still going on and the entire area is immersed in mourning.
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