Divers recovered the bodies of two children from the Bargi Dam on Saturday evening, taking the death toll from the capsized Narmada Queen ship to 11, as the boat’s captain broke his silence to defend himself against mounting criticism – saying he only jumped after all the passengers had done so and was only 50 to 60 meters from shore when the ship went down.
One of the children was identified as six-year-old Viraj Soni. The second remained anonymous. City Police Director Anjul Mishra confirmed that three people – a woman, a man and an unidentified person – are still missing. He added: “Divers recovered the bodies of two children at around six o’clock on Saturday evening.”
The car’s driver, Mahesh Patel, who faces termination and has been at the center of public criticism since the accident, gave his first account of the coup on Saturday. “I am shocked that people are blaming me. I only jumped after all the passengers had jumped,” he said, adding that he informed the boat club’s control room when conditions worsened.
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Patel, who said he has 20 years of experience, confirmed that he asked passengers to wear life jackets and tried to secure the ship during the storm. “I have been moving the boat six times a day for years. I have never seen such an accident. It was the wrath of nature,” he said. He added that he has not been able to sleep or eat since the tragedy occurred.
The International Meteorological Department issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms in the Jabalpur district on Thursday, a forecast that, survivors said, should have kept the boat ashore.
Patel said some passengers were dancing when water started leaking into the boat. “At that critical moment, I was unable to stabilize it,” he said. “We were only 50 to 60 meters from the shore when it capsized.”
Videos from the incident show life jackets being handed out to passengers, although many said life jackets were not brought to deck until it was too late.
Officials said 43 tourists boarded the ship on Thursday, including 42 so far. 29 people were rescued and three were missing. Search operations, which resumed on Saturday morning, were repeatedly disrupted by sudden storms and high waves.
Arrangements are being made to return the bodies of the victims to their hometowns in Tamil Nadu and Delhi. The bodies of Subhagyam Alagar from Tirupur (Tamil Nadu) and Kakogali from Khamaria (Jabalpur) were transported to Coimbatore. Kakojali’s five-year-old son was recovered on Saturday evening, while her husband Kamaraj and nephew Mayuram are still missing.
Arnab Dasgupta, a union leader at Jabalpur Ordnance Factory, said the family of employee Kamaraj K would be flown by chartered plane to Trichy. “The relatives want to perform the final rites at their native village. The Tamil Nadu government has arranged transportation from the airport,” he added.
