Mathura Boat Tragedy: Rescue Ops Underway, PM Announces Ex Gratia
PM Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased
Mathura: Rescue efforts continued on Saturday morning near Keshi Ghat in Vrindavan, after at least ten people died in a boat capsizing incident, officials said. The incident occurred on Friday.
The rescue operations are being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). The NDRF teams on Friday retrieved the capsized boat after hours of continuous effort.
Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased, while the injured would receive Rs 50,000.
Mathura DIG Shailesh Kumar Pandey said the boat had been retrieved after a four-hour operation. He added that the death toll stood at 10 and post-mortem procedures were nearly complete before the bodies would be sent to their homes.
Agra Divisional Commissioner Nagendra Pratap said rescue operations were still underway and that the injured were being treated in hospitals in Vrindavan. He added that five people were still missing.
Uttar Pradesh Minister Lakshmi Narayan Chaudhary termed the incident unfortunate and said pilgrims from Haryana and Punjab were affected after a sudden storm led to the capsizing of the boat in the Yamuna River. He added that 21 people had been rescued safely and were being given free treatment.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kulwant Sidhu met the families of the victims and expressed condolences, noting that some people were still missing.
Family members of the victims recounted that their relatives had travelled to Mathura and Vrindavan for a pilgrimage before the tragedy struck. Some said they last spoke to their loved ones shortly before the incident and later learned that the boat had capsized.
According to officials, the incident occurred after a boat carrying around 25 to 27 passengers collided with a pontoon bridge on the Yamuna River near Keshi Ghat.
Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy and offered condolences to the families of the victims, while Yogi Adityanath described the incident as extremely tragic and directed officials to ensure proper treatment for the injured.
