Mathura boat tragedy toll rises to 11, 4 still missing; boat operator arrested

The death toll in the Yamuna boat capsize tragedy in Mathura has risen to 11 after another body was recovered during an ongoing search and rescue operation on Saturday, officials said. Four people remain missing.

According to police, the incident occurred around 3:00 pm on Friday near a pontoon bridge between Vrindavan and Mant when a boat carrying tourists capsized in the Yamuna river.

SP Suresh Chand Rawat said that one more body was recovered approximately 800 metres from the accident site, taking the total number of deaths to 11. The deceased has been identified as Manik Tandon, a resident of Ludhiana. His post-mortem has been conducted and further legal procedures are underway.

Health department Rapid Response Team in-charge Bhudev Prasad said the body was found near Devraha Baba Ghat, nearly one kilometre from the spot where the boat overturned. Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma confirmed the recovery and said search operations are currently focused within a 14-kilometre radius, though there is a possibility that some victims may have been swept further downstream.

So far, 22 people have been rescued. Rescue efforts have been ongoing for over 20 hours, with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), PAC, Army’s Strike One Corps, and private divers involved. Rawat said eight NDRF teams, five SDRF teams, three PAC units, and six teams of private divers have been



deployed since Friday night.

Officials said the boat involved in the incident has been retrieved, and no bodies were found trapped underneath it. The condition of those injured is reported to be stable.

The boat’s operator, identified as Pappu, was arrested late Friday night. Police said he failed to provide life jackets to passengers and allegedly continued operating the boat at high speed despite objections. The vessel lost control and collided with a floating pontoon structure, leading to the accident.

Authorities noted that a pontoon bridge in the area had recently been dismantled due to rising water levels, leaving behind pontoon drums in the river. It is suspected that the boat struck one such floating drum. Locals, however, claimed that strong winds caused the boat to sway violently before it collided and overturned.

The ill-fated boat was carrying over two dozen tourists, mostly from Punjab. They were part of a larger group of around 150 pilgrims from Ludhiana and Muktsar who had come to Vrindavan.

DIG (Agra range) Shailesh Kumar Pandey said post-mortem examinations are nearly complete and arrangements are being made to send the bodies to their respective hometowns. He added that an inquiry committee will be formed after the rescue operation concludes.

Mathura MP Hema Malini expressed grief over the incident, offering condolences to the families of the deceased and praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.