11 people died after a boat overturned in a river in Bhopal during Ganesh Visarjan
Eleven people drowned after a boat in which they were using for Lord Ganesha's idol immersion ceremony overturned in a lake in Bhopal, the police said. Six have been rescued.
Two boats were joined together to keep the entire load afloat at Khatlapura Ghat in Bhopal, but they couldn't take the weight, the police said.
None of the people on the boat wore life jackets.
Four Boatman and four officials were suspended following the incident, according to Press Trust of India.
A video of the incident showed some of the victims from one boat jumping onto the second boat, which caused the boat to sink further.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the incident.
The victims were identified as Parvez Khan, 15, Rohit Mourya, 30, Karan, 16, Harsh, 20, Sunny Thakre, 22, Rahul Verma, 30, Vikky, 28, Vishal, 22, Arjun Sharma, 18, Rahul Mishra, 20, and Karan,26, all residents of 100 Quarters, Piplani, Bhopal.
"The incident took place on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday in Khatlapura on the banks of the Lower Lake," senior police officer Irshad Wali told PTI.
A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident, Bhopal Collector Tarun Kumar Pithode said.
The two boatmen Akash Batham and Changu Batham have been charged under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
"Initially, the first boat tilted and when the people on the other one saw it, they tried to save it, but to no avail. In the process, the other boat also tilted sideways and both capsized," an official said.
Teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), local police, and the citizens swung into action and rescued six persons," the official said.
Chief Minister Kamal Nath has expressed deep grief over the boat accident. He announced financial assistance of Rs 11 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
Earlier, an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh, including an immediate relief of Rs 50,000, was announced by the collector for the family of the deceased.
The state's Public Relations Minister PC Sharma also reached the spot.
(With inputs from PTI)