Mathura (UP): The boat that capsized in the Yamuna river Friday, leaving 10 tourists dead, 22 injured and five missing, has been retrieved, and no bodies have been found trapped underneath it, said a senior police officer involved in the search and rescue operation.
The boat was retrieved early Saturday morning; however, the five people are still missing.
“For the past four hours, we had been trying to remove the boat, which had overturned and got trapped in a deep swamp area,” DIG (Agra range) Shailesh Kumar Pandey said.
The DIG said that there is a possibility that some among the missing persons may have drowned in the river. He, however, said that the search operation will continue until they are found.
“The condition of those injured in the mishap is reported to be stable. The post-mortem examination of the bodies is nearly complete. Arrangements are underway to transport the bodies of the deceased to their respective places,” the DIG said.
He emphasised that a detailed analysis of the incident will be done.
“Gaps will be plugged, and better safety norms will be ensured. Strict action will be taken against those responsible for the accident,” Pandey said.
Mathura MP Hema Malini expressed her condolences over the tragic incident.
“I am deeply saddened to hear about the loss of life. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families in this hour of grief. I pray to Lord Krishna for the speedy recovery of those injured and for strength for the families of the deceased,” she said in her message.
The boat was carrying tourists, primarily from Punjab, and it capsized in the Yamuna in Vrindavan Friday afternoon.
The accident occurred near Kesi Ghat when the boat carrying over two dozen tourists moved into deeper waters and hit a floating pontoon, officials said.
Authorities noted that a pontoon bridge had recently been dismantled in the area due to rising water levels, leaving some pontoon drums in the river, one of which the boat is believed to have collided with.
District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh reported six fatalities earlier, and later rescuers recovered four more bodies, bringing the toll to 10.
The deceased have been identified as Kavita Rani (49), Charanjit (40), Sapna Hans (55), Rikesh Gulati, Madhur Behl, Asha Rani, Pinki Behl, Anju Gulati, Ishan Kataria, Minu Bansal, according to an official statement.
Those missing have been identified as Manik Tandon, Pankaj Malhotra, Rishab Sharma, Yash Bhalla and Monika.
The tourists were part of a larger group of about 150 pilgrims from Ludhiana and Muktsar in Punjab who had come to Vrindavan.
Locals told the media that the boat began to sway violently due to gusty winds, picked up speed and collided with a pontoon bridge, causing it to overturn.
Officials, however, said that the boat collided with a floating pontoon left behind after the pontoon bridge was dismantled recently.
