Bargi boat tragedy toll rises to 11; two children’s bodies recovered

The death toll in Thursday’s ‘Maikal Suta’ cruise boat tragedy at the Bargi Dam reservoir near Jabalpur has risen to 11, after rescuers recovered the bodies of two missing children on Saturday evening.

One of the deceased has been identified as Viraj Soni (6), while the other, Shritamil Raj (5), was also among those missing. However, Shritamil’s father, Kamaraj (50), and his cousin Mayuram (6) are still untraced, and search operations continue.

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According to Bargi SDOP Anjul Ayank Mishra, the two bodies were recovered within a span of about 15 minutes, between 5:45 pm and 6 pm. “Both bodies were found floating in the water, a little over 100 metres from the site of the mishap. They likely surfaced after remaining submerged for the past two days,” he said.

He also noted that neither of the children was wearing a life jacket at the time of recovery.

The ill-fated vessel, operated as part of a daily evening cruise by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department, capsized on Thursday in the backwaters of the Narmada River due to strong winds and stormy conditions.

So far, 11 deaths have been confirmed, while 28 passengers were rescued safely. Two persons remain missing as search efforts continue.