• Source:JND
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Jabalpur Cruise Tragedy: Mahesh Patel, captain of the ill-fated cruise boat, which capsized on April 30, claiming nine lives, narrated the horrific incident. Visibly shaken, Patel expressed deep remorse over the incident, saying he was not able to eat or sleep since it happened.

"I regret it 100 per cent. I haven't eaten or slept for three days. I only see those children," he said, expressing remorse that he could not save the victims.

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Rescue Boat Was Not Present: Boat Captain

Patel also acknowledged that the rescue boat, which is typically deployed alongside cruise trips, was not present that day due to a shortage of staff. Recounting the incident, he said the storm was so strong that even a rescue attempt could have been ineffective. In such big waves, a rescue boat could have capsized itself, Patel added.

Quiz

According to the article, what reason did Mahesh Patel give for the rescue boat not being present?

How Tragedy Unfolded

Recounting the final moments, he said a sudden and violent storm left little time to react despite efforts to return safely to shore. The cruise began under normal weather conditions, but within a few minutes, it turned violent. "I set out from here at 5:16 PM. When I started, there was no storm or anything. There were light waves like the ones right now," he said. After nearly 20 minutes into the journey, he sensed a change and decided to head back.

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"We had been out for 22 minutes, and then I thought we should return. We were on our way back... the wind started blowing hard. I instructed the cruise staff to give everyone life jackets," Patel said, adding that the situation deteriorated rapidly within minutes. According to him, strong winds and high waves made navigation extremely difficult.

Patel said that despite throttling the boat to reach shore within minutes, the vessel failed to respond effectively. "It takes about 10 minutes to reach the shore, but the boat didn't reach and it overturned. We tried our best... but the boat was not ready to reach any of the corners of the shore," he said.

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He further revealed that although life jackets were distributed, not all passengers complied. "Some people were dancing downstairs... my son told me they were not wearing life jackets. I went and told them that the weather had worsened and they should wear them," he said.

The captain recalled that as conditions worsened, water began entering the vessel rapidly. "It is hard to say, maybe five to seven minutes. The waves came all of a sudden. It was submerged, and then it capsized," he said, describing the chaos onboard. Patel, who was in the upper cabin, said he managed to rescue a few children before escaping himself.

"I pulled out three to four children. Everyone was screaming. I was among the last to get out. It was very difficult," he added.

(With ANI Inputs)


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