New Delhi [India], May 2 : A sombre atmosphere gripped a local Delhi neighbourhood as the mortal remains of three family members, who perished in the Jabalpur cruise boat capsize incident, were brought back to their residence for the final rites on Saturday.
The victims were identified as 40-year-old Marina, her mother Madhur, and her 4-year-old son, Jahaan, who were among those who lost their lives when a boat capsized in the Bargi Dam in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
The arrival of the bodies marked a tragic end to what was intended to be a family trip. Relatives, neighbours, and friends gathered in large numbers to pay their respects, with many expressing shock over the sudden loss of three generations of a single family.
The family was part of a group of six travelling together. While 28 people have been rescued from the water so far, including Marina's husband, Pradeep, along with 2 other family members, the loss has left the survivors devastated. Atleast 9 people have lost their lives in the incident.
Earlier, Marina's family expressed their sorrow and alleged instances of negligence which could have led to the disaster.
Speaking to ANI, Son of Madhur and brother of Marina, Gladvin described the incident as tragic and expressed his sorrow over the death of his family members.
"It is very tragic for me. My life has become very troubled... Three members of my house - my sister, my mother, and my 4-year-old nephew all perished in this accident," he said.
"They were saying that people were advising against going further. They still took the cruise forward, and it got stuck in the storm there. And it was quite an old cruise. That's why all these incidents happened. I would call it negligence, and in terms of security too, because life jackets were not given to them on time," he added.
Cousin of Marina Vinod stated that the family went there to enjoy themselves but emphasised that local administration should have been cautious as there was a weather alert for the day. "When they went for that purpose, for enjoyment, the local administration there should have exercised some caution," he said.
"There was an alert yesterday, even from two to three days ago, that the weather could turn bad. Even then, why was that cruise allowed so that everyone could go there? Because they went there, such a big accident happened. This could have been prevented," he told ANI, adding that the biggest question is why the cruise was allowed to sail if there was an alert.
The tragic incident, which occurred during what was initially a routine cruise outing on April 30, has left families grieving and triggered an extensive search and rescue operation. Authorities confirmed that nine bodies have been recovered so far, while 28 people were rescued in the immediate aftermath. Several others were feared missing, prompting continued search efforts in the area.
Multiple agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Army personnel, remain engaged in combing the water body and surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 Lakh to the kin of the victims.
"The loss of lives due to the capsizing of a boat in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, is extremely painful. I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this tragic mishap. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. The local administration is assisting those affected. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRE would be given to the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the Prime Minister's office said.
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