9 people died and 23 were rescued when a tourist boat capsized due to bad weather in Bargi Dam, Jabalpur. A mother was found dead with her 4-year-old son. The government has ordered an investigation and announced a compensation of ₹4 lakh.
Jabalpur: After the tourist boat accident at Bargi Dam in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, a scene was seen in the rescue operation which shook even the people of the rescue team to the core. The body of a woman who lost her life in the accident was found along with her 4-year-old son. The mother was holding her son tightly to her chest inside a life jacket. This heartbreaking picture came to light on Friday morning.
The accident occurred around 6 pm on Thursday evening, when a cruise boat carrying 29 passengers suddenly got hit by the changing weather. Due to strong wind and rain, huge waves started rising in the reservoir of Bargi Dam. Due to this the boat lost its balance and it overturned.
According to latest reports, nine people have died so far in this accident. The bodies of the mother and son were found by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) on Friday morning during the search for the missing people. This picture shows that the mother kept trying to save her child till her last breath.
Local people and police started rescue operations immediately after the accident. 23 people were safely brought to the shore. However, some passengers who escaped have alleged that there were no adequate security arrangements on the boat and life jackets were also given late. The passengers also say that when the wind increased, they asked to take the boat to shore, but the crew members did not listen to them.
As soon as information about the incident was received, many senior officials including state cabinet minister Rakesh Singh reached the spot. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased and has ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter.
Boating in Bargi Dam is very popular among tourists. But, there is now huge anger over the service being run without safety precautions. The search for the missing people is still going on.