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Jabalpur boat tragedy: Two more children's bodies recovered
03 May 2026

The death toll in the Narmada cruise boat tragedy has risen to 11, with two more bodies recovered from the Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur.

The deceased include a four-year-old child and eight women, whose bodies were recovered by Friday after the boat capsized amid bad weather on Thursday evening.

The cruise had pushed off from Khamaria island when a storm hit near Khamaria island around 6:00pm.

I haven't slept or eaten in 3 days: Captain
Captain's response

According to a report by The Indian Express, cruise captain Mahesh Patel has expressed deep regret over the incident, saying he hasn't slept or eaten in three days. He said he only sees the children who lost their lives in the tragedy.

Patel is now under investigation by a high-level committee formed by the district administration to probe possible safety violations and lapses that may have led to this disaster.

Life jackets were not distributed at start of journey: Survivors
Safety measures

Patel said he had instructed cruise staff to give everyone life jackets when the storm hit.

Survivors, however, alleged that life jackets were never distributed at the start of the journey and only came out when things started going wrong.

Patel denied allegations that he was the first to abandon the vessel, claiming he managed to pull out three or four children before others arrived.

Children, women among victims
Victims' details

The tragedy took the lives of children and women, including a five-year-old boy from Tamil Nadu. His family had come to visit him in Jabalpur when they went on an outing that ended tragically.

The boy's father and cousin are still missing.

Another victim was a woman who died with her son in an embrace; her husband and daughter survived the ordeal.

SOP to be created to prevent such incidents in future
Ongoing efforts

Rescue operations are still on despite bad weather, but hopes of finding the missing persons are dimming.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has promised strict action against those responsible for this tragedy and said a Standard Operating Procedure will be created through the Department of Tourism to prevent such incidents in the future.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi has also assured a thorough investigation into the matter, as per PTI.