Boat tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13

The bodies of a five-year-old boy and his uncle were recovered from Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy to 13, police said.

The boat, around 20 years old and operated by the State tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening.

“The bodies of Mayuram (5) and his uncle Kamraj (around 50), an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, were found floating and were fished out of the dam,” Bargi Sub Divisional Officer of Police Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI over the phone.

More than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force, and local divers, were searching for the man, who was believed to be 40-50 feet deep in the water within a 5 km radius, according to police.