AGRA, April 11 -- A boat ferrying tourists, mostly from Punjab, capsized in the Yamuna in Vrindavan on Friday afternoon, leaving at least 10 people dead and five others missing. The accident occurred near Kesi Ghat when the boat with over two dozen tourists moved into deeper waters and hit a floating pontoon, officials said. Authorities noted that a pontoon bridge had recently been dismantled in the area due to rising water levels, leaving some pontoon drums in the river, one of which the boat is believed to have collided with. The boat was carrying pilgrims largely from Ludhiana, Muktsar and Jagraon in Punjab and a few from Hisar in Haryana. In all, 37 people were on the ill-fated boat. Bodies of 10 were recovered while 22 tourists were rescued, of which eight were hospitalised. Five were reported to be missing after the tragedy, said ADM (finance and revenue), Mathura Pankaj Kumar. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and directed officials to ensure the best of treatment to those rescued and expedite relief and rescue operations. He instructed that appropriate compensation be provided to the families of the deceased as per established norms. In a message on social media platform X, he wrote: "The loss of lives in the accident is deeply painful. I pray to Lord Ram for peace to the departed souls, strength to the grieving families to bear this loss, and a speedy recovery for the injured." Confirming the fatalities, DIG (Agra range) Shailesh Pandey informed that the tragedy took place near Kesi Ghat of Vrindavan around 3pm. "A group of tourists from Ludhiana had hired two boats at Kesi Ghat. Prima facie, it appears that one of them lost balance after colliding with a pontoon on the river. However, the exact reason will be ascertained after proper investigation," he said. Rescue operations began just after the tragedy, and more than 15 people were rescued. But 10 people drowned to death. NDRF and SDRF teams were called in and assistance was sought from the army station in Mathura to aid the rescue operation, added the DIG. "We have deployed divers. They are part of 100-men strong team deployed for rescue. Teams from fire, police departments and administration are on the spot with boats to search those reported missing," he said. District magistrate (Mathura) Chandra Prakash Singh was at the ghat, supervising the rescue operation and informed that those rescued had been sent to Ram Krishna Mission Hospital in Vrindavan while other hospitals were placed on alert. A purported video now circulating widely captures the final moments -- smiling faces surrounded by the calm waters of the river. Soon, disaster unfolded near Kesi Ghat, leaving at least 10 people dead and others missing. The visuals also raised serious safety concerns, as none of the passengers on board the motorised boat appeared to be wearing life jackets, with some survivors alleging the boat was crammed with people well beyond its capacity....