Mathura, April 13: The death toll has risen to 15 after a boat carrying devotees from Punjab drowned in the Yamuna River in Mathura district. Rescue teams recovered two more bodies from the river on Monday. One person is still reported missing, and the search operation is underway.
During a joint search operation by the NDRF and local police on Monday, two more bodies were recovered from the Yamuna River. One of them was identified as Yash Bhalla alias Yuvraj, a resident of Punjab.
According to officials, Yash Bhalla was among the 16 people who went missing in the strong currents of the Yamuna River after the boat capsized. His body was found stuck in bushes near Devraha Baba Ghat near KC Ghat. The body was mutilated due to being submerged in the water for a long time. Rescue teams subsequently recovered the body of a young woman near Bangali Ghat, identified as Monica Dugri. The death toll in the boat accident has now risen to 15.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is conducting the entire rescue operation. The team is continuously searching the Yamuna River for the missing people. The police have sent the recovered bodies for post-mortem examination. Joint teams from the Army’s Strike Corps and the NDRF are engaged in relief and rescue operations in the area. One more person is currently reported missing. His name is Pankaj. Rescue teams are continuing to search for him.
The Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat stated that teams of NDRF, SDRF, and private divers are divided into seven sectors and conducting a continuous search operation for the missing people. Drones are also being used in the river and surrounding areas. Currently, one person remains missing, and rescue teams are continuing to search for him.
According to the administration, the search operation will continue until the missing person is found.