"10 dead, 22 rescued in Mathura boat tragedy; massive search operation underway": SP Rural Suresh Chandra Rawat

Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 11 : Following the boat capize tragedy on Friday in the Yamuna River in Vrindavan in Mathura District, SP (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said 10 people died and 22 were rescued, while a massive search and rescue operation involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and private divers is still underway.

Speaking toon Saturday, Rawat said that all possible resources were deployed immediately after the incident."...All the teams have been deployed here..... We sent 8 PRB's (emergency response police vehicles/teams), our fire rescue team, and ambulances there. A total of 32 people were rescued, of whom 10 died, and 22 are safe," he said.

Highlighting the scale of the ongoing operation, Rawat said multiple teams continue to search the river stretch, "8 NDRF teams, 5 SDRF teams and 3 PAC teams are deployed. Almost 120 private divers have been deployed, and we have searched the operation area of 14 kms."

He added that operations began early on Saturday morning as well 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 said that authorities are still verifying the total number of passengers on board, "We're still finalizing the total number of passengers, as some were transported to different hospitals, including private ones. Once we have a definitive count, we'll be able to confirm if anyone remains missing."

ADM (Judicial) Ved Priya Arya said rescue agencies are working in coordination with the administration.

"The SDRF, NDRF, PAC and fire team 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 that an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.

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