The death toll in the boat capsize in the Yamuna river in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura has risen to 15 after two more bodies were recovered on Monday, officials said, even as search operations continued for one missing person.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said the body of a woman, identified as Monika, was recovered from the Bangali Ghat area. Another body, that of 22-year-old Yash alias Yuvraj Bhalla, was found near Devaraha Baba Ghat in Vrindavan.
Bhalla, a resident of Ludhiana, had travelled with a devotional group and was part of a ‘bhajan’ troupe. In a video recorded shortly before the incident on Friday, he was seen playing the dhol alongside devotees singing hymns.
His family told the police that he was a student and would often play the dholak for the ‘Shri Banke Bihari Club’ in Jagraon during his free time.
Rawat said one person, identified as Pankaj Malhotra (40), remains missing. “The bodies of all other persons reported missing so far have been retrieved… The search for him is going on,” he said.
Also read: Mathura boat tragedy toll rises to 11, operator held
Malhotra, also from Jagraon, worked as a manager at a steel company in Himachal Pradesh.
Authorities have deployed extensive resources for the search operation, including eight teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), two teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and six teams of divers from the Provincial Armed Constabulary.
The tragedy occurred on Friday afternoon when the overcrowded boat, carrying over three dozen tourists—mostly from Punjab—struck a floating drum attached to a pontoon bridge and capsized near Kesi Ghat in Vrindavan.
Most of the victims were from the Jagraon and Dugri areas of Ludhiana district, officials said.
The incident has raised concerns over safety measures and overcrowding on boats operating along the Yamuna, particularly in pilgrimage hotspots.
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