Madhya Pradesh Boat Capsize: Bodies of 6 Victims Recovered, 1 Still Missing

The authorities on Wednesday recovered the bodies of six persons, including three children, who drowned after a boat carrying them capsized in Matatila dam in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district, while search was on to trace a teenage girl, police said.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening when the boat was carrying 15 persons to a temple located on the island in Matatila dam under Khaniyadhana police station limits, police officials said.

While eight persons were rescued with the help of villagers, seven others went missing in the water, they said.

Pichhore's Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Prashant Sharma said the rescue operations were carried out throughout the night and the bodies of six missing persons were recovered till Wednesday afternoon.

Search for a 15-year-old missing girl named Kumkum is still on, he said.

The bodies of six, identified as Kanha (7), Shiva (8), Chayna (14), Ramdevi (35), Leela (40) and Sharda (55), were recovered, he said.

Talking to PTI, Ramdevi, a survivor, said water started gushing into the boat from the bottom, causing it to tilt on one side within no time.

She said although she did not know how to swim, she just started moving her hands in the water out of desperation, and a boat arrived in time to save her.

Ramdevi said that she was pulled into the boat which came to rescue the victims.

Talking to reporters from the site of the incident, Shivpuri district collector Ravindra Kumar Chaudhary said efforts were made by rescuers to trace the victims at night, but the bodies were recovered on Wednesday.

"People go to the temple located on the island in the dam to offer prayers, especially during the Holi and Rang Panchmi festivals," he said.

"The boat involved in the incident was a small, wooden boat. The incident could have been caused either due to water entering the boat or its imbalance," he said.

The administration will take steps to prevent such incidents from happening in the future, the collector said.

Those who rescued eight persons will be awarded, he said.

On Tuesday night, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the dead.

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