New Delhi: When a boat capsized in Vridavan last week, a 55-year-old woman from Punjab’s Ludhiana survived the tragedy by using a simple trick she learnt from an Instagram reel she watched earlier.
As many as 15 people were killed and eight other injured after a boat capsized in Vridavan on April 10. The boat carrying pilgrims from Punjab set off from the Jugal Ghat towards the Devaraha Baba Ghat. It overturned in the Yamuna river after colliding with the pontoons of a bridge near the Keshi Ghat
Recalling the incident, Rajinder Kaur Banga, who survived the mishap, recalled how a simple tip she had once watched online helped her stay calm and afloat during the crisis.
She said that she fell in the water after the boat capsized, but she relied on an Instagram reel she had watched to remain calm. The woman said that she could not swim, but she managed to stay alive in the water by following the instructions she saw in the reel.
Finally, something positive came out of reels in India. In the recent Vrindavan boat tragedy where 15 people lost there lives an elderly woman survived because she remembered a reel on what to do if you can’t swim while drowning. It helped her stay afloat until she was rescued. pic.twitter.com/UGDhvjTfxz
— Nikhil saini (@iNikhilsaini) April 15, 2026
The woman claimed that the reel helped her learn how to avoid drowning in such a situation. It was suggested that holding breath, keeping the mouth closed, straightening the body, and continuously moving the legs can help people survive in the water, she added.
“I had once seen a short reel that explained what to do if such an accident happens. I followed those steps and managed to stay on the surface,” she said.
The woman also said that her head hit the boat five times during the chaos but she did not panic or inhale water.
Meanwhile, the Mathura district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the accident.