Death toll in Mathura boat tragedy rises to 11

Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 11 : The death toll in the tragic boat capsize incident in the Yamuna River rose to 11 on Saturday following the recovery of another body by rescue teams. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) continued their search operations for the second day, focusing on the stretch where a vessel carrying pilgrims from Punjab overturned on Friday.

Mathura Additional District Magistrate, Pankaj Kumar Verma, while speaking to ANI, said, "Today the NDRF-SDRF team has recovered one more body...the body has been sent for postmortem...so far 11 people have died in the incident..."

Speaking to ANI, Congress leader Manish Tewari said, "A truly unfortunate incident has occurred, and it is, in fact, a tragedy... our deepest condolences go out to the families who have lost their loved ones... There must be a thorough investigation into how such a tragedy happened, specifically, whose fault lies therein and whether any negligence was involved... No amount of compensation can ever truly make up for the loss suffered by those who have lost their loved ones... if both the Central and State Governments intend to provide an ex-gratia grant, that grant should be of a respectable and dignified amount."

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, "This accident has shaken the nation... Why and how the accident occurred is a matter of investigation, and the central or UP governments should investigate it. It has been learned that some people were not even wearing life jackets...The government should provide some solace and help to the families of the victims."

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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