MP Cruise Boat Tragedy: Death Toll Rises to 11; 2 Tourists Missing

PTI, May 2, 2026, Jabalpur: The bodies of two boys were recovered on Saturday evening from the Bargi Dam in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy that occurred two days ago to 11, while search continued for two missing persons.

Of the 41 identified passengers on board the ill-fated vessel, 28 were rescued, police said.

The boat, operated by the state tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening, with some survivors alleging negligence and safety lapses such as life jackets not being distributed in time.

The bodies of Viraj Soni (6) and Tamil (5) were recovered on Saturday, said Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Anjul Ayank Mishra.

Tamil’s father Kamraj, an employee of the Ordnance Factory at Khamaria, and Kamraj’s nephew Mayuram (5) were still missing, he added.

Divers and disaster response teams have expanded the search radius to five km, the police official said.

More than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, joined the search operation that resumed at 5 am on Saturday morning. The operation, involving the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and local divers, was briefly affected around 9 am due to strong winds, officials said.

Post-mortem examinations of nine deceased persons have been completed, Mishra said.

“Our priority is to search for the missing persons. We will also register a First Information Report in the case soon,” he 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.