The death toll in Thursday’s ‘Maikal Suta’ cruise boat tragedy at the Bargi Dam reservoir in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, rose to 13 on Sunday after rescuers recovered the bodies of a man and his nephew from the water.
According to Bargi SDOP Anjul Ayank Mishra, the bodies of Mayuram (5) and his uncle Kaamraj (50), an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria near Jabalpur, were found floating in the water and were recovered on Sunday.
He said the bodies were sent to the government medical college and hospital for postmortem.
The SDOP said that all 13 identified missing persons had now been accounted for.
Officials said that the recovery of the two bodies on Sunday has virtually brought the search operation to a close, as they were the last two remaining missing persons, as per the official number of 41 passengers on board the ill-fated vessel.
However, CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the ill-fated boat, while the names of 41 persons who boarded the vessel have been identified so far.
Preliminary findings suggest that 41 people were on board, of whom 28 were rescued safely, and 13 have died.
It remains unclear whether all 43 persons seen in CCTV footage boarded the vessel. If not, two unidentified persons may still be unaccounted for.
On Friday, the state government ordered a probe into the incident and terminated the services of three crew members, including the vessel’s pilot, after survivors alleged negligence and safety lapses, including failure to provide life jackets.
The government also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state with immediate effect.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav had announced an ex gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased.
SDOP Anjul Ayank Mishra said the quick response of rescuers helped save 15 persons soon after the mishap on Thursday evening, while 13 more tourists were rescued later.
However, four persons were confirmed dead on Thursday night after their bodies were recovered.
On Friday, rescuers and divers recovered five more bodies, taking the death toll to nine.
The bodies of two missing children were found on Saturday evening, while those of a man and a child were recovered on Sunday, taking the death toll to 13.
The daily evening boat cruise operated by the MP Tourism near Khamariya island in the backwaters of the Narmada river was a major tourist attraction at the Bargi Dam reservoir.
However, a sudden storm struck on Thursday evening during the cruise. As it intensified, the boat lost stability in the rising waves and overturned, plunging dozens of tourists into the deep waters of the reservoir.