Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], April 11 : Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday visited Jagraon in Ludhiana to attend the final rites of those who died in the boat accident in Mathura. The Chief Minister met with the grieving family members in Ludhiana to offer his condolences.
CM Mann, in a post on X, said, "Today, by participating in the last rites of those who lost their lives in the Mathura boat accident at Jagroan in Ludhiana, I shared the grief with the affected families."
He further said, "In this hour of sorrow, the Punjab government is committed to providing every possible assistance to the bereaved families. May Waheguru grant abode at His feet to the departed souls and bestow strength upon the families to bear this unbearable sorrow."
SP (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said 10 people died and 22 were rescued, adding that 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."
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.
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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