Jabalpur boat tragedy: The bodies of a five-year-old boy and his uncle were recovered from Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district on Sunday morning, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy to 13, police said. Now actor Sonu Sood has expressed his concern about the accident and called for ‘strict accountability’ in cases like these. (Also read: Bhumi Pednekar calls Bargi Dam tragedy ‘heartbreaking’, demands accountability: This is so tragic…)
What Sonu wrote
Taking to his X account, Sonu wrote, “A while ago I tweeted about the Bihar boat tragedy, urging life jackets for every passenger. Then came Vrindavan… and now Madhya Pradesh, more lives lost the same way. How many more? It’s time to make it mandatory: no boat should leave without every passenger wearing a life jacket. We also need a govt portal where each trip uploads time-stamped proof of all passengers in life jackets before departure. Only strict accountability can save lives.”
More details
13 people have died since a tourist boat capsized at the Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur on April 30. A cruise carrying more than 40 passengers overturned during strong winds and rough water conditions; several people were thrown into the Narmada reservoir. Survivors have now described moments of panic.
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.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of ₹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.
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. Actor Bhumi Pednekar and singer Shilpa Rao have also reacted to the accident and mourned the loss of lives.