New Delhi [India], May 1 : Among the victims of the boat capsizing incident in Bargi Dam in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, were three members of a single family, including 40-year-old Marina, her mother Madhur, and her 4-year-old son, Jahaan.
The family was part of a group of six travelling together. While 29 people have been rescued from the water so far, including Marina's husband, Pradeep, along with 2 other family members, the loss has left the survivors devastated. Atleast 9 people have lost their lives in the incident.
Marina's family expressed their sorrow and alleged instances of negligence which could have led to the disaster
Speaking to ANI, Son of Madhur and brother of Marina, Gladvin described the incident as tragic and expressed his sorrow over the death of his family members.
"It is very tragic for me. My life has become very troubled... Three members of my house - my sister, my mother, and my 4-year-old nephew - all perished in this accident," he said.
"They were saying that people were advising against going further. They still took the cruise forward and it got stuck in the storm there. And it was quite an old cruise. That's why all these incidents happened. I would call it negligence, and in terms of security too, because life jackets were not given to them on time," he added.
Cousin of Marina Vinod stated that the family went there to enjoy themselves but emphasised that local administration should have been cautious as there was a weather alert for the day. "When they went for that purpose, for enjoyment, the local administration there should have exercised some caution," he said.
"There was an alert yesterday, even from two to three days ago, that the weather could turn bad. Even then, why was that cruise allowed so that everyone went there? Because they went there, such a big accident happened. This could have been prevented," he told ANI, adding that the biggest question is why the cruise was allowed to sail if there was an alert.
Brother-in-law of Gladvin, Naresh, also expressed his sorrow over the loss, and said that their was negligence on the part of the administration.
"I would say it's negligence on the part of the administration. Because if that boat is in the water after an advisory has been issued, then it's a big question. Because the boat was filled with 40-50 people. Despite the bad weather, he took tourists into the water just for some money. Local people even stopped him, told him the weather was bad and to pull over to the side..this accident has completely broken us. We have lost three members of our family," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 Lakh to the kin of the victims.
"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. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the Prime Minister's office said.
Tourism Minister Dharmendra Singh Lodhi on Friday ordered a probe into the matter and assured strict action against those found responsible.
Speaking to ANI, Lodhi said, "This is a very sad and heartbreaking incident. I have ordered the department to investigate this incident. If negligence has occurred, we will take the strongest possible action. Nine people have died in this incident... "
He further added that strict action will be taken if any negligence is found.
"I have ordered an investigation. If any negligence is found, the strongest possible action will be taken," he added.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that authorities have also ordered an investigation into the tragic incident as search efforts continue. He also said that the incident occured due to a seasonal cyclone.