MP boat capsize toll increases to 11
Bhopal/Jabalpur, May 3 -- Divers recovered the bodies of two children from Bargi Dam on Saturday evening, raising the death toll from the Narmada Queen capsize to 11, as the boat's helmsman broke his silence to defend himself against mounting criticism - saying he had jumped only after all passengers had done so and was just 50 to 60 metres from shore when the vessel went down.
One of the children was identified as six-year-old Viraj Soni; the second remained unidentified. City superintendent of police Anjul Mishra confirmed that three people - a woman, a man, and one unidentified individual - are still missing. "Divers recovered the bodies of two children around 6pm on Saturday," he said.
Helmsman Mahesh Patel, who faces termination and has been at the centre of public criticism since the accident, gave his first account of the capsize on Saturday. "I am shocked people are blaming me. I jumped only after all passengers had jumped," he said, adding that he had alerted the Boat Club control room when conditions worsened. Patel, who said he has 20 years of experience, maintained that he had asked passengers to wear life-jackets and tried to secure the vessel as the storm hit. The IMD had issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms in Jabalpur district for Thursday - a forecast, survivors said, that should have kept the boat ashore.
Patel said some passengers were dancing when the boat began taking on water. "At that critical moment, I was unable to anchor it. We were just 50 to 60 metres from the shore when it capsized," he said.
Videos from the incident show passengers being handed life-jackets, though many said it was not until it was already too late that the life jackets were brought on the deck.
Officials said 43 tourists had boarded the vessel on Thursday, with 42 accounted for so far. 29 people were rescued and three are missing. Search operations, which resumed on Saturday morning, were repeatedly disrupted by sudden storms and high waves....
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