The death toll in the tourist cruise boat capsize in Jabalpur’s Bargi Dam reservoir on the Narmada River has mounted to nine, officials confirmed on Friday. Meanwhile, the search and rescue operations have picked pace. Notably, the vessel had overturned in the middle of the dam waters on Thursday, causing deaths. However, 28 persons were rescued by the emergency teams.

Authorities revealed that the bodies of eight women and a kid have been recovered from the reservoir, located at a distance of 35 kilometres from Jabalpur. So far, four passengers who were on board the vessel remain unaccounted for, raising fears that they may still be trapped.

Vessel submerged 20 feet underwater: Bargi SP

As the situation took a grave turn on Friday, a team from the Indian Army, a helicopter from Hyderabad and a specialised paramilitary unit from Kolkata have been deployed to bolster the ongoing rescue operation. Bargi’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Anjul Mishra said that heavy machinery, along with hydraulic equipment and excavators, is being utilised to retrieve the vessel, which lies submerged nearly 20 feet underwater.

In the aftermath of the incident, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Dr Mohan Yadav is expected to visit Jabalpur to take stock of the situation.

Confusion looms over passenger count

Discrepancies have emerged regarding the number of passengers who were on board when the vessel sank. While officials maintained that tickets had been issued for 29 passengers, several survivors claimed that close to 45 persons were on the cruise. Eyewitnesses painted a grim picture of the mishap. A 14-year-old survivor, who lost her mother, grandmother and younger brother in the tragedy, alleged that no life jackets had been provided to them initially. She added, “My father and uncle had to break open a locker to access life jackets.”

Furthermore, she claimed that the locals had warned the cruise operator about the approaching storm, but he did not pay heed to them.

Safety lapses alleged

Another survivor named Prateek Kumar chipped in, alleging that life jackets were distributed only after the vessel began to capsize. He credited the locals for pulling him and some of his family members back to safety, though his wife and mother-in-law are still missing.

On the other hand, the cruise pilot, Mahesh has refuted allegations of negligence. He said that all the safety measures were adhered to, and attributed the incident to a sudden and violent storm.