At least 10 people died and several others are still missing after a tourist boat capsized in the Yamuna river near Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura district on Friday, officials said.
Most of the victims were tourists from Punjab who had traveled to Mathura and Vrindavan on a pilgrimage when the accident occurred, and survivors described a sudden violent collision moments before the ship capsized.
Vijay Bahl, a resident of Jagraon in Ludhiana who lost his wife and son, said the group had to change boats in the middle of the river due to a mechanical failure.
“In seconds, the bridge hit our boat like a storm. It capsized and threw us into the water,” he recalled to HT, describing how quickly the situation spiraled out of control.
Questions about safety lapses
Some survivors have raised concerns about possible security lapses and the presence of dangerous structures in the river.
Shwet Jain, 32, a resident of Ludhiana whose mother is on a ventilator, wondered why boats were allowed near the repair areas. He added: “There was an iron bridge floating in the river, and the boatman tried to push it away with the boat. This caused the accident. Help did not arrive immediately after the boat capsized.”
Officials indicated that the remains of the dismantled floating bridge may have played a role in the accident. An official familiar with the matter said that although the bridge was removed due to rising water levels, some barrels remained submerged in the river. The official added: “It is believed that the collision with one of these submerged objects caused the boat to lose its balance and capsize.”
Families recount last moments
Relatives of the victims said that their family members were in high spirits shortly before the tragedy occurred.
“I had a phone conversation with one of my family members and they were very happy when they reached there,” a relative said while speaking to news agency PTI.
They added: “A family member called us and told us that their boat had capsized. We could not reach them. 8 to 10 people went there from our area.”
Another family member added, “Yesterday they left for Mathura, Vrindavan. Around 2.30 pm, they uploaded a video expressing their happiness. My family members are among those affected by the accident,” PTI reported.
The sequence of events leads to the coup
According to officials, the accident occurred around 3 pm near Keshi Ghat when a boat carrying around 30 passengers lost balance after colliding with a floating drum.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Agra Range) Shailesh Pandey said: “A group of around 30 tourists from Ludhiana had rented two boats at Kishi Ghat. Prima facie, it appears that one of them lost balance after colliding with a pontoon on the river. However, the exact reason will be ascertained after a proper investigation.”
Large-scale rescue efforts are underway
A large-scale rescue operation is currently underway, with more than 100 personnel from the NDRF, SDRF, local police and fire department deployed to the site. The Army post in Mathura has also been sent to assist.
More than 15 people have been rescued so far and taken to Ram Krishna Mission Hospital, while efforts are continuing to locate people still missing.
“We have deployed divers. Teams from fire, police and administration departments are at the site with boats to search for the missing people,” Pandey said.
President Draupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives.
The Prime Minister announced a donation from $2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the families of those killed $50,000 for each of the infected people.
Mann said he spoke to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and assured his support. “I spoke to CM Yogi Ji of Uttar Pradesh… All possible help will be provided to the victims. I am in touch with the Uttar Pradesh government…” he said in a post on X.
