Jabalpur, May 1 (PTI) The death toll in the Bargi Dam tragedy rose to seven on Friday, as rescuers recovered the bodies of three more persons who were on the cruise boat that overturned in the reservoir in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur.
Talking to PTI Videos, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi said that some tourists were still missing and that an operation was in full swing to trace them.
After the rescue operation, a probe will be conducted, and stern action will be taken against those found guilty of the unfortunate tragedy, he said.
A cruise boat with 29 passengers and two crew members onboard overturned in the Bargi Dam after encountering a sudden storm on Thursday evening, officials said.
The toll in the accident has risen to seven as three more bodies have been recovered, while 16 persons have been rescued so far, they said.
The Bargi Dam has been constructed on the river Narmada in Jabalpur district.
A search and rescue operation for the missing passengers continued overnight with teams from the Army, NDRF and SDRF joining in, State PWD Minister Rakesh Singh said.
Hydraulic cranes are being used to pull out the cruise boat from the water body, he said.
According to eyewitnesses, strong winds made the water choppy, prompting many on board to raise an alarm and ask the crew to take the boat back to the banks.
However, the crew was unable to hear these shouts, and the boat drifted and then overturned, they said, adding that some locals rescued a few passengers wearing life jackets with the help of a rope. PTI COR MAS ARU
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