Passengers in sinking cruise continue to search for life jackets: 9 killed in accident in MP, rescue operation delayed by 2 hours; Cruise operations halted in the state, inquiry committee formed

So far, 9 bodies have been recovered from the Jabalpur cruise accident in Madhya Pradesh. Four people, including three children, are still missing, who were not traced till late Friday evening. The search operation had to be called off on Friday due to heavy rains. The search operation will be launched once again from 5 am on Saturday. After the accident, the administration has banned the operation of cruises across the state. The services of three people, including the cruise pilot, helper and ticket counter in-charge, have been terminated. A high-level committee has been formed to probe the matter. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has said that the culprits in this case will not be spared at any cost. 47 tourists were on board, 29 tickets were booked. A cruise full of tourists of MP Tourism sank at around 5 pm on Thursday in the Bargi Dam built on the Narmada river in Jabalpur. There were about 47 passengers on board, while the tickets were booked for only 29 people. The crash was about 300 metres away from the shore. At the time of the sinking, the wind speed was about 74 kilometers per hour. Burgee City CSP According to Anjula Mishra, the SDRF rescued many people, but the relief work was affected due to strong winds, darkness and bad weather. This negligence came to light in the accident 1: Life jackets were found sealed in the cabin 5 more bodies were found due to the negligence of the administration in the Burgee Cruise accident. That is, a total of 9 deaths were confirmed. The search for 4 others is underway. Details of the accident began to emerge on Friday. Passengers boarded without life jackets despite the Met department's orange alert. Accident survivor Roshan Anand said none of the passengers were given life jackets while boarding the cruise. People ran around for half an hour as the cruise swayed. All the life jackets were sealed in the cabin, which the passengers managed to pull out and start wearing. 2: Rescue team's vehicle breaks down, delays by two hours The cruise capsized in a storm at 6 pm. After receiving the information at 6:15 pm, the team left at 6:40 pm, but the vehicle did not start. Resources were shifted to another vehicle. The second team left at 7 p.m., with the rescue operation delayed by more than two hours. Meanwhile, local farmers, fishermen and staff rescued more than 15 people by making their own efforts. Following the CM's directive, the NDRF team left from Agra late at night. At 5 am on Friday, the NDRF team took over the front. 5 bodies were recovered. The most important ground response was that of Jal Nigam official Alok Tiwari and his team. Alok Tiwari said that as soon as he got the information, he immediately left with the team. Upon reaching the spot, they found that the cruise was completely submerged and there was darkness and chaos all around. He said that immediately machines like JCBs, Poklans and cranes were installed. A sustained operation was launched to rescue people trapped underwater. It was extremely challenging to work in the midst of strong winds and darkness. The rescue operation continued for about 10 hours without stopping. Many people were evacuated in coordination with the local police. 4. Ban on cruise operations across the state, safety audit to be conducted: Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has taken a major administrative decision across the state after the tragedy. All cruise, motor boat and water sports activities have been stopped in Madhya Pradesh with immediate effect. Safety audit of all water transport equipment has been made mandatory. Operations will be allowed only after reviewing safety norms. The government has made it clear that no compromise on security will be accepted at any level now. 5. Formation of High Level Inquiry Committee The Government has constituted a high-level committee to conduct an in-depth probe into the accident involving three senior officers. The Committee comprises Director General, Home Guards and Civil Security, Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Administration and Commissioner, Jabalpur Division. The committee will investigate the circumstances under which the accident occurred, why safety protocols were not followed and what were the lapses in cruise operations. On the basis of the report, strict action will be taken by fixing responsibility. 6. Many of the responsible officers and employees have been removed. Immediately after the accident, responsibility has been fixed and action has been initiated. In this case, the services of cruise pilot Mahesh Patel, helper Chhotelal Gond and ticket counter in-charge (FOA) Brijendra have been terminated. On the other hand, the manager of Hotel Mekal Resort and Boat Club Bargi, Sunil Marawi, has been suspended on charges of negligence. A departmental inquiry has been initiated against regional manager Sanjay Malhotra at the headquarters. Yogendra Richharia, an official of the 20-year-old tourism department, said that at present, only one cruise was operating at the Bargi Dam, which was built in 2006 and had a capacity of 60 passengers. Another cruise is in bad shape. Look at the pictures... The bodies of 9 people, including a child and 8 women, were found.