Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 11 (HBTV): Following a boat capsizing incident on Friday in the Yamuna River near Vrindavan in Mathura district, SP (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said 10 people have died and 22 were rescued, while a large-scale search and rescue operation is still underway.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Rawat said that all available resources were deployed immediately after the incident. 'All the teams have been deployed here. We sent eight PRBs (emergency response police vehicles/teams), along with fire rescue teams and ambulances. A total of 32 people were rescued, of whom 10 died, and 22 are safe,' he said.
Highlighting the scale of the operation, Rawat said multiple teams continue to search the river stretch. 'Eight NDRF teams, five SDRF teams and three PAC teams are deployed. Nearly 120 private divers have also been engaged, and a stretch of around 14 kilometres has been covered in the search operation,' he said.
He added that operations resumed early on Saturday morning to trace any missing persons. 'Since 5:30 AM this morning, NDRF, SDRF and PAC boats, along with local divers, have been scouring the area. Deep-sea divers from the NDRF are also involved in the search,' Rawat said.
He further stated that authorities are still verifying the total number of passengers on board. 'We are still finalising the total number of passengers, as some were taken to different hospitals, including private ones. Once we have a confirmed count, we will be able to determine if anyone remains missing,' he said.
ADM (Judicial) Ved Priya Arya said rescue agencies are working in coordination with the administration. 'The SDRF, NDRF, PAC and fire teams have been conducting the search operation. We are in contact with the family members and will recover everyone soon,' Arya said.
Rescue operations continued on Saturday morning near Keshi Ghat in Vrindavan, with officials confirming that search efforts are ongoing across the affected stretch of the Yamuna River.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of INR 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased, while the injured will receive INR 50,000. (ANI)