Ten people lost their lives, while 22 others were rescued after the pilgrimage turned into a tragedy for the visitors, mostly from Punjab, after their boat capsized in the Yamuna river in Vrindavan.
The tragedy occurred in Mathura district on Friday afternoon when a group of over 30 visitors, mostly from Gagraon town in Ludhiana, hired the boat at Keshi Ghat for a joy ride.
Read also: Strong winds, high speed and collision: How a Yamuna boat trip in Vrindavan ended in tragedy for a Punjab group, with 10 people killed
A video clip moments before the tragedy occurred showed pilgrims on the boat clapping and chanting “Radhe Radhe.”
The video, which may have been recorded by a visitor, showed that none of the boat’s passengers were wearing life jackets. The video was said to have been filmed before the tragedy occurred.
How the boat trip turned into a tragedy
The pontoon bridge that was recently dismantled due to rising water levels is said to be the main reason behind the disaster.
According to the PTI report, which quoted the authorities, one of the floating barrels that was floating on the water collided with the boat, which led to the tragedy.
Read also: ‘It hit the bridge like a storm’: Survivors recount horror, flag safety lapses in boat tragedy near Vrindavan
Eyewitnesses said that the boat began to sway violently due to the stormy winds, then its speed increased before it collided with a pontoon, causing it to capsize.
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.”
The group on the boat was part of a larger group of 132 tourists who came in two buses from Ludhiana and Muktsar districts of Punjab to visit Mathura and Vrindavan.
