Jabalpur boat tragedy: Search ops end as death toll rises to 13

Search operations in the cruise boat tragedy at Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district have been completed with the recovery of two more bodies on Sunday, raising the death toll to 13, the Jabalpur District Administration said.

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The bodies have been sent to a government hospital for postmortem and all 13 missing persons identified have now been accounted for, officials said.

The official social media handle of the Jabalpur Collector said today, "Search for missing persons completed with recovery of remains of two more bodies."

Search and Rescue Details

The boat operated by the state tourism department capsized on the evening of April 30. On May 1, officials said that 29 people were rescued and a search operation was mounted to trace those missing.

Multiple agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Army personnel, were involved in combing the waterbody and surrounding areas.

On Saturday, bodies of two children were recovered by search and rescue personnel, officials said. The deceased were identified as Viraj Soni (4), son of Krishna Soni from Kotwali in Jabalpur, Shri Tamil (6) son of Kamraj a resident of Westland Khamaria, Jabalpur.

PM Announces Ex-gratia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the victims. "The loss of lives due to the capsizing of a boat in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, is extremely painful. I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this tragic mishap. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. The local administration is assisting those affected. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRE would be given to the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the Prime Minister's office said. (ANI)