The death toll in the cruise boat tragedy at Bargi Dam in Jabalpur district rose to 10 on Saturday evening after the body of a child was recovered, even as search operations continued for three missing tourists.
Officials said the body retrieved was suspected to be that of six-year-old Viraj Soni.
“The identity will be confirmed after family members identify the body,” Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI.
Police said that three people are still missing, and efforts are on to find them.
The tragedy occurred on Thursday evening when a cruise boat capsized during a storm. Survivors have alleged negligence and safety lapses, including the failure to distribute life jackets in time.
Authorities have deployed extensive resources for the search, including deep-water equipment and a generator to aid diving operations. Divers and disaster response teams have expanded the search radius to 5 km, Mishra said.
Of the 41 identified passengers on board, 28 were rescued, according to the police. CCTV footage from the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the vessel, though only 41 have been identified so far.
Over 200 personnel, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, are involved in the operation, which resumed at 5 am on Saturday. The effort, led by teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and local divers, was briefly disrupted by strong winds around 9 am, officials said.
Post-mortem examinations of nine victims have been completed. “Our priority is to search for the missing persons. We will also register a First Information Report in the case soon,” Mishra said.
The State government has ordered a probe into the incident, dismissed three crew members, and banned the operation of similar vessels across the State.
(With inputs from PTI)