MORENA: Around 40 people on a steamer were briefly left stranded in the middle of the swollen Chambal River on Sunday morning after the vessel, operating without life jackets, ran out of fuel in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district, officials said.
The vessel, carrying passengers from Uttar Pradesh, drifted helplessly in the surging waters before local authorities managed to send diesel supplies to refuel and safely navigate it back to the riverbank, Morena collector Lokesh Jangid told PTI.
All 35 to 40 people were safe, he said.
The steamer was being operated from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, and its operator also belonged to the city, he said, adding that the vessel was not equipped with lifejackets.
The Chambal River originates in the Vindhya Range from the Janapav Hills near Mhow in Madhya Pradesh. It flows through Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh before merging with the Yamuna near Etawah.