6 dead, several missing in UP after tourist boat capsizes in Yamuna

Mathura: 6 people were killed, and several others are missing after a tourist boat capsized in the Yamuna in Vrindavan on Friday afternoon, officials said. According to District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh, all the tourists on board were from Punjab.

The accident occurred near Kesi Ghat when the boat carrying over two dozen tourists moved into deeper waters and hit a floating pontoon, they said.

“6 bodies have been recovered. 16 to 17 people have been rescued safely so far. Efforts are ongoing to locate the missing,” the DM said.

The boat was said to be carrying over two dozen tourists. Rescue operations are underway with teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and around 50 local divers.

A local diver, identified as Gulab, said about 15 people have been pulled out so far, officials said. Medical authorities at the Vrindavan Joint Hospital said the deceased include six men and four women.

The tourists were part of a larger group of around 150 pilgrims from Ludhiana and Muktsar in Punjab who had come to Vrindavan.

Eyewitnesses told the media that the boat began to sway violently due to gusty winds, its speed increased and it collided with a pontoon bridge, causing it to overturn.

Officials, however, said that the boat collided with a floating pontoon left behind after the pontoon bridge was dismantled recently.

Police and local administration are jointly conducting the rescue operation, with divers searching the deeper sections of the river for missing persons. Senior officials, including the district magistrate and superintendent of police, have reached the spot to monitor the situation.