Bhopal, May 2 -- Divers recovered five more bodies from Bargi Dam in Jabalpur on Friday, taking the death toll from Thursday's boat capsize to nine, with six people still missing - as survivors said the vessel had sailed into a forecast storm with life-jackets locked below deck. The Madhya Pradesh government, which operated the boat - Narmada Queen - ordered an inquiry and banned the operation of similar vessels across the state until further notice. The state government also said it sacked the helmsman Mahesh Patel and helper Chhotelal Gond -- both of who abandoned the vessel before it capsized, according to witnesses. The Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rescued 29 of the tourists on board. Search operations for the missing were continuing, officials said. "Our relief and rescue teams have safely evacuated approximately 29 people. The rescue operation is still going on, and nine bodies have been recovered from the Bargi Dam so far," chief minister Mohan Yadav told reporters in Bhopal. He attributed the accident to a sudden seasonal storm and praised locals for helping save lives. The boat was retrieved from the dam. Rescuers had to cut through the hull to recover some of the bodies, including that of a woman found clutching her child, said Anjul Mishra, city superintendent of police, Bargi, Jabalpur. Survivor Sangeeta Kori said passengers could not immediately reach life-jackets when the boat began to go down. "The life-jackets were locked in a room on the lower floor. We somehow managed to wear them," she said. Kori said the vessel was carrying nearly 40 people - including children without tickets - and that the driver had ignored warnings from locals as the weather deteriorated. "Around 4pm, we decided to take the boat ride at the Bargi Dam. Around 6pm, the boat was returning when the winds became strong, and water started entering the boat," she said. Officials said 29 tickets were sold, and two crew members were on the vessel; survivors estimated 40 to 45 people on board, with some travelling without tickets. Three members of one family were among the dead: Merina Massey, 40, her mother Madhu Massey, and her four-year-old son Trishan. Three other family members survived. Merina's father Julius (70) said the crew had ventured deeper into the lake despite warnings from those on board. "It was quite an old boat. I would call it negligence, and in terms of security too, because life jackets were not given to them on time," he said. Merina's husband, Pradeep, who also survived, said an adverse weather alert had been in circulation for two to three days before the accident. "There was an alert yesterday, even from two to three days ago, that the weather could turn bad. Even then, [the boat] was allowed," he said. The boat eventually sank near Khamariya, a point on the left side of the reservoir, not far from land. Videos on social media purportedly taken aboard showed the boat caught in a squall, with strong wind and rain causing choppy waters and limited visibility. An IMD bulletin issued for Thursday showed a yellow alert for thunderstorms had been issued for the Jabalpur district. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths and announced an ex gratia of Rs.2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs.50,000 for the injured. "The loss of lives due to the capsizing of a boat in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, is extremely painful. I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this tragic mishap. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. The local administration is assisting those affected," he wrote on X. Leader of Opposition in the assembly Umang Singhar, who visited the dam, alleged the tragedy was the result of negligence by the tourism department. "It is a serious lapse on the part of the administration that they are operating a cruise boat without having the mandatory weather instruments," he said. Tourism minister Dharmendra Singh Lodhi assured that strict action would be taken against those found responsible in the inquiry....