- By Raju Kumar
- Sat, 02 May 2026 09:17 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Jabalpur Boat Tragedy: Two more bodies were retrieved during the ongoing search operation in Bargi, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, taking the death toll to 11. On Saturday evening, the bodies of Viraj Soni (5), son of Krishna Soni, a resident of Kotwali, and Sritamil (5), son of Kamaraj (5), a resident of Westland Khamaria, were recovered.
R Kamaraj (38), a resident of Jabalpur Ordnance Factory Khamaria, his son Sritamilvendan (5), nephew Mayuran (9), and Viroj Soni (6) were missing since the incident. The bodies of two of these children have been recovered, while NDRF and SDRF teams have been carrying out a rescue operation for the other two since 6 am on Saturday. However, strong winds repeatedly hampered the operation. Search operations using small boats remain risky. Divers are continuously searching underwater.
Bodies Transported To Tamil Nadu By Special Aircraft
The bodies of two female tourists who died in the accident were transported to Tamil Nadu by a special aircraft on Saturday. Kamakaraj, who worked at Ordnance Factory Khamaria, had come to visit with his wife, children, parents, brother, sister-in-law, and other relatives from Tamil Nadu. During the accident, Kamakaraj's 10-year-old son was swept ashore by the waves and was rescued safely. However, his younger son, Sritamilvendan, and nephew Mayuran, along with Kamakaraj, drowned.
Kamaraj's family originally hails from Trichy, Tamil Nadu. The family had expressed their desire to perform the last rites of the deceased women in their native village. Following this, the administration arranged for the bodies and relatives to be transported by a special aircraft. On Saturday, a special aircraft transported the bodies of the two women and two relatives to Tamil Nadu. Another aircraft failed to arrive until evening due to a technical issue. This aircraft is to transport other family members to Tamil Nadu.
Massive Search Operation Underway
Divers and disaster response teams have expanded the search radius to five km. Of the 41 identified passengers on board the ill-fated vessel, 28 were rescued, police said. More than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, joined the search operation that resumed at 5 on Saturday morning. The operation, involving the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local divers, was briefly affected at around 9 am due to strong winds, officials said.
Police said CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the boat, while the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far. The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the tragedy and dismissed three crew members. It also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
(With Jagran.com/PTI Inputs)