Mathura boat tragedy: Death toll rises to 11; vessel operator held

MATHURA: The death toll in the boat capsize tragedy in Yamuna river in Mathura has climbed to 11 after the recovery of one more body in the search and rescue operation on Saturday, officials said, adding that the operator of the ill-fated vessel has been arrested.

In-charge of the Health department's Rapid Response Team, Bhudev Prasad, said that the body of a man was recovered near Devraha Baba Ghat, almost 1 kilometre from the spot where the boat had capsized in Vrindavan on Friday. The deceased has been identified as Manik Tandon (42), a resident of Ludhiana, Prasad added.

The tragedy occurred on Friday afternoon when a boat carrying over two dozen tourists, primarily from Punjab, hit a floating drum of a pontoon bridge and capsized near Kesi Ghat in Vrindavan.

Most of the victims were from the Jagraon and Dugri areas of Ludhiana district. Besides 11 deaths, 22 people were injured and rescued. Four people still remain missing.

Giving details about the operation, Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma, citing NDRF officials, said that although the search for the missing persons is currently focused within a 14-kilometre radius from the spot where the boat had capsized, there is a possibility that they may have been swept much further downstream.

Personnel from the Army's Strike One Corps and the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) have been engaged in the search operation for the missing individuals for over 20 hours.

Verma said that once the operation is concluded, the district magistrate will constitute an inquiry committee and issue orders for an investigation into the matter.

Vrindavan police station SHO Sanjay Pandey said that the boat's operator, Pappu, was arrested late on Friday night.

He is accused of failing to provide life jackets to any of the passengers before allowing them to board the boat, and despite their objections, he maintained a high speed. This resulted in the boat losing control and colliding with a pontoon bridge's drum, which led to the accident, officials said.

Earlier in the day, the boat that had capsized was retrieved, and no bodies were found trapped underneath it.

DIG (Agra range) Shailesh Kumar Pandey said that there is a possibility that some among the missing persons may have drowned in the river. He also said that the condition of those injured in the mishap is reported to be stable.

"The post-mortem examination of the bodies is nearly complete. Arrangements are underway to transport the bodies of the deceased to their respective places," the DIG said.

Meanwhile, police have registered a case and also arrested the contractor, Narayan Sharma, responsible for the repair work on the pontoon bridge.

SP (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said that on Friday evening, the police registered a case under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the boatman Pappu (alias Dauji) and Sharma, and subsequently arrested them.

According to the case details, Pappu's boat did not have any safety equipment or provisions whatsoever.

Secondly, despite repeated pleas from the terrified pilgrims, who were distressed by his reckless and high-speed navigation, Pappu neither stopped the boat nor reduced its speed. By the time he realised the danger upon approaching the pontoons of the bridge, it was already too late.

Consequently, after colliding with a pontoon drum, the boat lost control and capsized. It has also come to light that he is among those operators who have not obtained the requisite license to operate a boat.

Contractor Sharma was carrying out the work of dismantling and reassembling the pontoon bridge without providing any prior notification. He was required to inform the Municipal Corporation, the boatmen, and the concerned officials before undertaking such work.

Meanwhile, Mathura MP Hema Malini expressed her condolences over the tragic incident.

"I am deeply saddened to hear about the loss of life. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families in this hour of grief. I pray to Lord Krishna for the speedy recovery of those injured and for strength for the families of the deceased," she said in her message.