At least 10 people from Punjab's Ludhiana district drowned in the river Yamuna in the Hindu holy town of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh on Friday afternoon, after one of two boats they'd hired for a joyride capsized, and those on the other also fell in.
The group that hired the boat at Keshi Ghat comprised 30 people, police said; at least 16 were rescued at the time of the last update, and 10 bodies found. Most of the victims belonged to Jagraon town in Ludhiana, it is learnt.
“It appears that one of the boats went out of control and lost balance after colliding with a pontoon bridge on the river,” said Shailesh Pandey, deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, Agra range. The tragedy happened around 3 pm, he said. "The exact reason will, however, be assigned after proper investigation," said Pandey.
Floating parts of dismantled bridge
The pontoon bridge had recently been dismantled due to rising water levels, but some pontoon drums were still floating in the river, one of which the boat is believed to have collided with, news agency PTI reported citing authorities.
{{/usCountry}}The pontoon bridge had recently been dismantled due to rising water levels, but some pontoon drums were still floating in the river, one of which the boat is believed to have collided with, news agency PTI reported citing authorities.
{{/usCountry}}Eyewitnesses told the media that the boat began to sway violently due to gusty winds, and then its speed increased before it collided with a pontoon, causing it to overturn. Officials, however, said that the boat collided with a floating pontoon left behind after the bridge was dismantled recently, PTI added.
What DM said
The group on the boat was part of a larger group of 132 tourists who came in two buses from Ludhiana and Muktsar districts of Punjab to visit Mathura and Vrindavan town in Mathura district.
“Those rescued are out of danger. Two or three of them required oxygen supply, but are stable now,” district magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh told HT. "Sixteen to 17 people have been rescued safely so far. Efforts are ongoing to locate the missing," the DM said earlier, adding that all tourists onboard were from Punjab.
Medical authorities at the Vrindavan Joint Hospital said the deceased include six men and four women.
Rescue operations are underway with teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and around 50 local divers deployed at the site. Army jawans from a nearby unit also joined in.
Helpline set up in Ludhiana
In the victims' native state Punjab, deputy commissioner, Ludhiana, Himanshu Jain urged residents not to spread rumours, and said the Punjab government in touch with authorities in Vrindavan.
A 24x7 dedicated helpline — at 0162-422-3226 (SDM, Jagraon) and 0161-240-3100 (DC office) — have also been set up.
Special teams comprising both civil and police officers have already been dispatched to Vrindavan for better coordination amongst the authorities, he added.