The number of death in the boat capsize incident in the Mahanadi river mounted to nine on Thursday as eight more bodies were recovered in Odisha's Kendrapara district, officials said.
While the body of a woman was found shortly after the incident took place on Wednesday evening, eight bodies were recovered during a search operation in the early hours of Thursday, they said.
"Altogether nine bodies have been recovered, while one person is still missing," said Kendrapara district Collector Dasarathy Satpathy.
Expressing deep grief, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the relatives of the deceased, an official in his office said.
Mr Patnaik had on Wednesday night instructed the administration and a search team to expedite rescue operations.
The deceased included two women aged between 40 and 45 years and seven children (7 to 10 years), Mr Satpathy said.
The victims were residents of Hasina village in Kujang area of Jagatsinghpur district.
The incident took place when the mechanised boat carrying 10 people capsized in the Mahanadi river on Wednesday evening, the district collector said. Fire brigade personnel and members of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), along with Coast Guard teams and local fishermen, carried out the rescue and search operations, Mr Satpathy added.
The victims were returning after a picnic at the Light House at Hukitola when the mechanised boat capsized apparently after losing balance in Batighar creek under the jurisdiction of Mahakalpada police station.
Meanwhile, residents of Hasina village staged a blockade on Paradip-Cuttack and Paradip-Chandikhole roads at Bhutmundai, demanding adequate compensation for the families of the deceased, police said.
PM Modi Launches Railway Projects Worth Rs 2,871 Crore In Odisha PM Modi Launches Subhadra Yojana, Railway, Highway Projects In Odisha Water Storage Breach At Vedanta Alumina Unit In Odisha Impacts Farm Land 9 Dead, 2,800 Hurt As Pagers Explode Across Lebanon, Hezbollah Blames Israel "Wear Proper Undergarments": Delta Airlines' New Memo For Flight Attendants IndiGo Flight Tailstrike Leaves Huge Dent During Take-Off From Delhi Airport Russian Group Behind Fake Kamala Harris Hit-And-Run Story: Microsoft Live Updates: J&K To Vote In First Assembly Elections In A Decade Today Donald Trump Says He Will Meet PM Modi Next Week Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.