Bhubaneswar: The death toll in the boat capsize in Odisha's Jharsuguda district rose to seven with the recovery of five more bodies on Saturday, an official said. Personnel of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and Fire Services, who launched a search operation immediately after the boat capsized on Friday, recovered five more bodies from the Mahanadi River, he said. Two bodies were fished out earlier and seven people were missing.
"Five more bodies were recovered from the Hirakud reservoir of the river. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examinations," he said. "Five scuba divers fitted with cameras in their headgear joined the search operation and spotted the bodies of two women and three boys," the official said, adding that the search operation is still underway.
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday said she was distressed to learn about the loss of lives in a boat accident in Odisha and offered her condolences to the bereaved families.
"Distressed to learn that the capsize of a boat in the Mahanadi river near Jharsuguda, Orissa, led to the loss of many lives. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for a speedy recovery of all those affected by the tragedy," Murmu said in a post on X.
All deceased people hailed from the Kharseni area of neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The incident occurred when around 50 passengers were returning in the boat after visiting a temple in Patharseni Kuda in Odisha's Bargarh district. The boat capsized as it was about to reach Sarada Ghat in the Rengali area in Jharsuguda, a police officer said. Local fishermen rescued 40 passengers and brought them to the bank, he said.
The Chhattisgarh administration has made arrangements for the transportation of dead bodies, sources said. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the boat capsize and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased.
