4 still missing as rescue efforts continue after Bargi boat tragedy

Four persons, including a man, his young son, and two other children, remained missing on Saturday — two days after a tragic cruise boat capsized in the Bargi Dam reservoir near Jabalpur. Rescue teams are continuing intensive efforts to locate them.

Search operations were hampered on Saturday due to strong winds and storm-like conditions in the area.

Advertisement

The incident occurred on Thursday evening when a daily cruise operated by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism department in the backwaters of the Narmada River turned fatal after the boat capsized in deep waters. Nine people have been confirmed dead so far, while 28 others were rescued.

According to Bargi SDOP Anjul Ayank Mishra, the missing include Kamraj (50), an employee of Ordnance Factory Khamaria, his son Tamil (5), his relative’s son Mayuram (5), and another child, Vijay Soni (6).

Raghvendra Singh, the Jabalpur Collector, said search operations are ongoing to trace the missing persons.

Officials said that over 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, resumed search operations from 5 a.m. on Saturday. The search radius has been expanded to five kilometres in the backwaters downstream of the dam.

“We have called for advanced search equipment, and local deep-water divers have also been engaged,” SDOP Mishra said.

Investigators noted that CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the ill-fated boat, while the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far. Preliminary findings indicate that 41 people were on board, of whom 28 were rescued.

However, authorities are still verifying whether all 43 individuals seen in the footage boarded the vessel. If so, the number of missing persons could rise to six.

On Friday, the state government ordered a probe into the incident and terminated the services of three crew members, including the vessel’s pilot, following allegations of negligence and safety lapses, such as the failure to provide life jackets.

The government has also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state with immediate effect. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced an ex-gratia compensation of ₹4 lakh for the families of each deceased.

Officials said that 15 people were rescued immediately after the mishap, while another 13 were saved later. Four bodies were recovered on Thursday night, and five more on Friday, taking the death toll to nine.

The evening cruise near Khamaria Island in the Bargi reservoir had been a popular tourist attraction. However, a sudden storm struck during Thursday’s ride, causing the boat to lose stability amid rising waves and overturn, throwing dozens of passengers into the deep waters.